WALES

Departments: Consultants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department and its agencies have made payments to  (a) Solutions in Staffing and Software and  (b) SThree in each year since 1997.

Peter Hain: No.

DEFENCE

Ammunition

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much ammunition was allocated on all courses involved in the training of artillery personnel and forward observation officers to call in fire in each year since 2001; what the cost of this ammunition was; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 19 March 2007
	The quantity and cost of the 105 mm and 155 mm artillery ammunition allocated and fired at the Royal School of Artillery, Larkhill, and the number of personnel trained, in Support of Phase 3 training is as follows:
	
		
			  Year( 1)  Quantity  Cost (£ million) 
			 2001-02 35,887 23.2 
			 2002-03 22,266 15.2 
			 2003-04 20,541 16.5 
			 2004-05 19,268 16.5 
			 2005-06 19,169 16.1 
			 2006-07(2) 19,979 14.0 
			 (1) The year runs from 1 April to 31 March. (2) The 2006-07 figures include approximately 1,000 rounds remaining this financial year which will be fired before 1 April 2007 and 6,000 marker rounds which were at the end of their shelf life. These marker rounds were fired in lieu of being destroyed and as a result, £3.1 million was saved from the initial budget allocation of £17.1 million.

Armed Forces

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people working in his Department previously served in the armed forces.

Derek Twigg: A total of 600 (rounded to the nearest 10) retired officers were working for the Department as at 1 January 2007. This figure is the best estimate available from centrally held records, but may not include all ex-service personnel working for the Department.

Armed Forces

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people working for his Department are members of the territorial forces.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies financed the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme in each of the last five financial years; and how much was contributed by each.

Derek Twigg: We are profoundly grateful to the sponsors of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, AugustaWestland and their predecessors). Since 2002 each has contributed an average of £40,500 per year to the scheme. We are also grateful to Sir Neil Thorne for the very considerable moral and financial support he has lent the scheme since its inception in 1989.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cadets there were in  (a) the Army Cadet Force and  (b) the Air Training Corps in each year since 1999-2000.

Derek Twigg: The following table provides the number of cadets(1) in the Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps from 1 April 1999 to 1 April 2006.
	(1) Figures are for Army and Air Cadets only. Figures do not include officers/instructors or single service elements of the Combined Cadet Force.
	
		
			  As at 1 April each year  Army Cadet Force  Air Training Corps 
			 1999 40,530 33,300 
			 2000 42,760 34,280 
			 2001 40,570 33,180 
			 2002 40,700 34,050 
			 2003 43,550 34,650 
			 2004 44,240 33,190 
			 2005 44,050 31,470 
			 2006 44,390 30,170

Armed Forces: Complaints

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in setting up an independent complaints commissioner for the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The recruitment process for the position of Service Complaints Commissioner will begin shortly.

Armed Forces: Dogs

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military dogs are in service in the  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy,  (c) Royal Air Force and  (d) Ministry of Defence Police; and what the annual cost is of feeding those dogs.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 19 March 2007
	There are currently 998 operational military working dogs in the armed forces and military police, comprising 467 in the Army, 272 in the RAF, none in the Royal Navy, and 259 in the Ministry of Defence Police.
	The annual cost of feeding the dogs is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Fire Services

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training members of the armed forces are receiving to use modern fire appliances in the event of a fire-fighter strike.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1539W, to the hon. Member for Newark (Patrick Mercer).

Armed Forces: Officers

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many senior  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force officers who attended the higher command staff course in each year from 2003 to 2006 remained in service 12 months later.

Derek Twigg: In each service, all the officers attending the higher command staff course in 2003, 2004 and 2005 remained in service 12 months later, with the exception of army officers attending in 2003, when fewer than five officers left within 12 months.
	Of the attendees in 2006, all remain in service nine months later at 1 January 2007.

Armed Forces: South Africa

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel serving in the armed forces are UK-South African dual nationals.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 19 March 2007
	On 6 October 2006 there were 35 UK regular naval service personnel with UK/South African dual nationality.
	At 6 March 2006 there were five UK Regular RAF personnel with UK-South African dual nationality.
	The number of Army personnel with UK-South African dual nationality is not known.

Armed Forces: Training

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's rules and regulations which govern the operation of the safety for joint service adventurous training scheme.

Derek Twigg: Yes. A copy of Joint Service Publication 419 will be placed in the Library of the House. The publication includes the rules and regulations for the safe operation of the joint service adventurous training scheme.

Departments: Postal Services

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which postal companies handle mail dispatched by his Department and its agencies.

Des Browne: The MOD dispatches relatively little mail externally. Official mail within the Department is primarily distributed by the internal Defence Mail Service, provided by the British Forces Post Office, while mail for personnel serving overseas is usually distributed by RAF air transport. Most external mail is sent through the Royal Mail Group, or, exceptionally through other approved carriers. The names of these carriers are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ex-servicemen

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department takes to assist service personnel discharged from the three armed forces on medical grounds to  (a) achieve the maximum fitness and mobility possible and  (b) assist in securing alternative employment.

Derek Twigg: Health care for service personnel is provided by Defence Medical Services. Treatment aims to assist injured service personnel to recover the best level of fitness and mobility possible. If medical discharge is appropriate, it will only be used as a last resort. Once they leave the armed forces, responsibility for their health care passes to the NHS and there are processes in place to assist the smooth transition from DMS to NHS treatment. If a veteran is also a war pensioner, he or she will be entitled to priority NHS treatment for the accepted condition(s); priority is decided by the clinician in charge and is subject to clinical need.
	Those who are medically discharged from the armed forces are entitled to the full resettlement programme (FRP) offered within the MOD's resettlement package, provided by the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), irrespective of their length of service(1). The FRP includes briefings, workshops, individual counselling, coaching, CV preparation and analysis of transferable competences, job finding, and conversion and skills enhancement training. All discharged personnel remain on the CTP books for two years after discharge. Thereafter, the Regular Forces Employment Association (RFEA) and the Officers' Association (OA) offer ex-service personnel support for the rest of their working lives. The RFEA and OA are particularly concerned with job-finding activities, and are sub-contractors on the CTP contract.
	To help achieve the Department's aim of a successful return to civilian life for ex-service personnel, whether medically discharged or not, the CTP offers at its resettlement training centre (RTC) at Aldershot around 40 job-related courses. Many courses result in recognised qualifications while others can lead to employment with companies which have established close links with the RTC. Such training is not mandatory for service leavers. Service leavers who do not choose the RTC route may make use of the individual resettlement training costs (IRTC) grant, currently a maximum of £534, for training courses not offered by the RTC but available in the wider training market.
	(1) The FRP is normally only available to those who have served at least five years with the armed forces.

Hilsea

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to require the selection of bids for the MOD site at Matapan Road, Hilsea to be based on best value criteria.

Derek Twigg: The selection of bids for the sale of the MOD site at Matapan road, Hilsea was made at formal tender held on 2 March 2007. At this formal tender Defence Estates (DE) accepted the highest compliant bid. This bid was received from a national house builder with a proven track record for delivering a wide range of residential development schemes on surplus Government sites.
	Formal tender is an Office of Government Commerce recognised method of selling surplus public sector assets. DE and its agent Drivers Jonas are confident that best value was achieved in this sale through formal tender.

Land: Sales

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  under what circumstances Defence Estates does not follow the Treasury Guidelines (Green Book) when disposing of  (a) sites and  (b) contaminated sites; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  at what level in his Department decisions are made about whether or not to apply the Treasury Guidelines (Green Book) to disposals of contaminated land.

Derek Twigg: In common with all other Government Departments, the MOD is bound by the Treasury Guidelines as set out in Government Accounting, the Green Book and the accompanying Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Property published by the Office of Government Commerce. These will always be followed unless there are exceptional circumstances, for example, when it has been decided to gift a property, which would require individual approval by an appropriate authority.
	The Chief Executive of Defence Estates (DE), the Ministry of Defence (MOD) agency responsible for the defence estate, has full authority to act within the delegated authority from the MOD Accounting Officer in the disposal of land and buildings.
	In the case of contaminated land, it is normal, unless the land is remediated by the Ministry of Defence, to sell with the benefit of a Land Quality Assessment (LQA) and therefore transfer the risk to the private sector. The LQA will usually include an evaluation of the potential types and level of contamination, together with a Collateral Warranty, which should allow prospective purchasers to make an informed bid.

Territorial Army: Pay

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Territorial Army were employed and paid under the provision of section 29 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 in each of the last three years; how many earned  (a) under £5,000,  (b) under £10,000 and  (c) under £20,000; and how many have been exempted from paying maintenance for their children through the Child Support Agency as a consequence.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 20 March 2007
	No members of the Territorial Army have been employed under section 29 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996, which can authorise, among other things, the High Readiness Reserve. Were any personnel to be employed in this manner they would be paid according to their rank, seniority and trade group. There are no exemptions for such personnel from existing CSA procedures.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members: Age

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  what percentage of hon. Members were under 45 years of age in  (a) 1985,  (b) 1997 and  (c) 2006;
	(2)  what the average age of hon. Members was in  (a) 1985,  (b) 1997 and  (c) 2006.

Jack Straw: The House of Commons Library Members database indicates the following:
	
		
			   Percentage of hon. Members under 45 years of age  Average age of hon. Members (Years) 
			 1985 33.2 50.1 
			 1997 32.6 49.3 
			 2006 23.5 51.8

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

1 Parliament Street: Lifts

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the cost has been of the modernisation of the lift system within the 1 Parliament Street building; how long this work has been running; and when he expects work to be completed.

Nick Harvey: The modernisation of the lifts in 1 Parliament Street has cost £337,000.
	The work commenced in August 2006 and is due for completion in September 2007.
	The lifts have been upgraded to accommodate an evacuation lift to comply with the Disability Discrimination Acts and refurbished in line with the lift refurbishment programme. This project was planned over two summer recesses to ensure continual availability of lifts during the refurbishment programme.

Energy Usage

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to his answer of 30 January 2007,  Official Report, column 147W, on energy usage, what the energy consumption of each building on the parliamentary estate was in each of the last three years.

Nick Harvey: The energy consumption of each building on the parliamentary estate in each of the past three years is given in the following table. Please note that 2 Millbank is heated from boilers located in 1 Millbank and its heating energy consumption is not metered separately.
	
		
			  Energy consumptions from in invoices 
			  Estimated energy consumptions corrected where possible using actual readings (MWh) 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Building  Gas  Electricity  Total  Gas  Electricity  Total  Gas  Electricity  Total 
			 Palace of Westminster 19,526.4 15,182.3 34,708.7 18,040.3 15,440.3 33,480.6 19,482.7 15,440.3 35,043.6 
			 Portcullis House 3,616.7 4,044.5 7,661.2 3,328.8 3,932.3 7,261.1 3,493.9 3,942.2 7,436.1 
			 Norman Shaw North and South 3,117.1 1,880.2 4,997.3 2,692.8 1,867.4 4,560.3 3,112.4 1,945.4 5,057.9 
			 1 Canon Row — 858.3 858.3 — 830.9 830.9 — 819.0 819.0 
			 1 Parliament Street 2,007.8 2,296.6 4,304.4 1,971.7 2,299.7 4,271.4 2,162.6 2,305.4 4,468.0 
			 Parliamentary Bookshop — 29.7 29.7 — 33.4 33.4 — 35.5 35.5 
			 Millbank House — 778.5 778.5 — 778.3 778.3 — 728.4 728.4 
			 7 Millbank 1,924.0 3,171.7 5,095.7 2,018.4 3,295.9 5,314.2 2,082.2 3,475.3 5,557.6 
			 Fielden House — — — — 131.2 131.2 — 383.9 383.9 
			 6 and 7 Old Palace Yard 309.0 202.7 511.8 176.9 217.3 394.2 214.0 231.7 445.7 
			 1 Abbey Gardens 110.6 46.0 156.6 107.7 36.0 143.7 1151.5 39.6 151.1 
			 2 Abbey Gardens 135.2 67.6 202.8 106.8 56.4 163.2 107.1 56.4 163.5 
			 Underground Car Park — 382.4 382.4 — 412.9 421.9 — 361.2 361.2 
			 22 John Islip Street 64.4 68.2 132.7 63.6 24.4 88.0 14.0 48.9 62.9 
			 Total 30,811.3 29,008.6 59,819.9 28,506.9 29,356.5 57,863.4 30,780.6 29,933.8 60,714.4

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Birds: Conservation

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of the individuals and organisations consulted in the current review of Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 are  (a) bird keepers,  (b) bird watchers,  (c) bird keeping clubs,  (d) bird watching clubs,  (e) falconry centres or zoos,  (f) raptor study groups (field ornithologists),  (g) bird keeping magazines,  (h) bird watching magazines and  (i) conservation organisations.

Barry Gardiner: It is impossible to state with any accuracy the percentages of individuals and organisations consulted. In accordance with best practice for such public consultations, my officials aimed the distribution at the major organisations which represented all of the groups of bird watching, bird conservation, rescue centres, bird keepers, zoos and enforcement authorities. These in turn were able to use their membership lists to circulate the details of the consultation more widely. The consultation document was also available via the DEFRA website.

Birds: Conservation

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of  (a) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) controls and  (b) bird registration under section 7 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in tracing and reliably identifying the provenance of individual birds.

Barry Gardiner: The convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) controls and bird registration controls relate to different activities and species. Where the controls are duplicated, as is the case with many species of diurnal birds of prey, assessing their relative effectiveness in tracing and identifying the provenance of individual birds is very difficult.
	In general terms, bird registration achieves nothing in identifying the provenance of individual birds as there are no legal powers to assess the captive bred status under section 7 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It does however give powers to trace where individual birds are kept.
	CITES controls provide the powers needed to inquire into breeding status, but do not enable the tracing of individual birds, unless there is a specific conservation reason to do so and an element of commercial activity is involved.

Birds: Conservation

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria and methodology are used to assess the sustainability of wild bird species levels.

Barry Gardiner: In England, the principal method used to assess wild bird population levels is the analysis of trends for the wild bird indicators compiled for the England biodiversity strategy (EBS) and the farmland bird public service agreement (PSA).
	Indices for individual bird species are based on the annual field counts of breeding birds compiled by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). These individual indices are then compiled to show the average population trends with separate indicators compiled for farmland, woodland, wetland and sea birds. The EBS indicator compiles indices for 96 species, 19 of which are used in the farmland bird PSA indicator.
	The assessment for the EBS indicator is based on the percentage change in the combined index since 2000 (and is currently assessed as stable). The assessment for the PSA indicator is based on the annual rate of change in the long-term trend—to which is applied a statistical technique that removes short-term peaks and troughs due to weather or gaps in the data. The farmland birds target will be met when the annual percentage change in the 'smoothed' long-term trend is positive. As with the EBS indicator, the trend was assessed as stable in 2006.
	Further information on the methodology and criteria used in the assessment for farmland bird PSA targets can be found in the following report: "Freeman, S.F., Baillie, S.R. and Gregory, R.D. 2001. Statistical Analyses of an Indicator of Population Trends in Farmland Birds".

Birds: Conservation

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of bird rings used by keepers of birds listed on Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 were supplied by  (a) keepers and  (b) his Department.

Barry Gardiner: There are 9,584 registered birds, of which 280 are registered with rings not supplied by my Department. The latter figure includes birds which have had rings fitted in other countries before they were imported into the UK. Under current regulations, only keepers in Wales may supply their own rings. There are approximately 60 birds registered in this way.

Carbon Dioxide: Aviation

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his estimate is of the proportion of carbon emissions in the UK which is due to aircraft taking off and landing at UK airports; and what his estimate is of the likely change in this proportion over the next  (a) 10 and  (b) 50 years.

Ian Pearson: Carbon dioxide emissions from UK domestic aviation (which includes emissions from the UK Crown Dependencies, and excludes emissions from the Overseas Territories) were 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (MtCO2), and for international aviation were 35.0 MtCO2 in 2005. Greenhouse gas emissions from international flights do not currently count in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory because there is no internationally agreed way in which to allocate those emissions. UK CO2 emissions (excluding international aviation and shipping) were 554.2 MtCO2 in 2005.
	Emissions from domestic aviation were around 0.4 per cent. of total UK CO2 emissions in 2005. If international aviation CO2 emissions are included, aviation contributed around 6.4 per cent. of total UK CO2 emissions in 2005. The proportion in 2030 and 2050 would be around 15 and 21 per cent. of UK CO2 emissions (including international aviation) respectively. These are based on the assumptions of continued strong growth in aviation using central projections in 'Aviation and Global Warming' (2004), and the assumption of attainment of the 60 per cent. CO2 emissions reduction target in the rest of the economy as outlined in the 2003 Energy White Paper.

Common Agricultural Policy

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the £305 million claim on the reserve to cover provision for disallowance arising from Common Agricultural Policy schemes; and when he was informed of the amount of the claim required.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA Ministers and officials discuss a wide range of issues with their colleagues in the Treasury as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Energy: EC Law

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what further consultation his Department plans to undertake with stakeholders on the Energy Services Directive and its timetable for implementation.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA continues to make progress towards implementing the Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive by 17 May 2008. We have already consulted on aspects of the directive which impact on the wider public. The Department's consultation on billing and metering provisions ended on 6 February.
	DEFRA expects to consult stakeholders further on our implementation plans in summer. We will also use the opportunity provided by the forthcoming energy White Paper, and June's energy efficiency action plan—itself a requirement of the directive—to keep stakeholders informed of progress.

Falcons: Conservation

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what account he has taken of the examples of captive Eleanora's falcons appearing in the UK following the delisting in 1994 of the species from Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in his review of wild bird registration under section 7 of the Act.

Barry Gardiner: The public consultation exercise on Schedule 4 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 closed on 16 February 2007. Over the coming weeks we will consider the situation of both captive and wild population changes of all species delisted in 1994.

Flood Control

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Environment Agency's capital programme is for flood defence works in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08, broken down by region.

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency's capital programme for flood defence works in 2006-07 and 2007-08, by region, are set out in the following tables.
	
		
			  Capital programme budget—flood defence grant in aid 
			  Region  2006-07 budget (£ million)  2007-08 budget (£) 
			 Anglian 53.9 — 
			 Midlands 26.5 — 
			 North East 21.4 — 
			 North West 15.2 — 
			 Southern 22.9 — 
			 South West 20.9 — 
			 Thames 23.6 — 
			 Wales 14.8 — 
			 Head Office 5.8 — 
			 Total 205 (1)206.1 
			 (1) The 2007-08 capital allocation by region is being finalised during the next two weeks. I will arrange for the information requested to be placed in the Library of the House. 
		
	
	
		
			  Capital programme size—levy funding 
			  Region  2006-07 funding (£ million)  2007-08 funding (£ million) 
			 Anglian 9.8 4.7 
			 Midlands 3.2 3.1 
			 North East 2.2 2.5 
			 North West 3.2 3.4 
			 Southern 2.0 5.8 
			 South West 5.5 2.1 
			 Thames 5.3 10.0 
			 Wales 0 0 
			 Head Office 0 0 
			 Total 31.2 31.6

Fuel Poverty

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) people and  (b) households in fuel poverty in each year since 1995; and what Government target on fuel poverty applied in each such year.

Ian Pearson: Fuel poverty is a factor of three elements—a home's energy efficiency, household income and the cost of fuel. As such, fuel poverty is measured by household and not by individual.
	Fuel poverty figures were first calculated in 1996 and are based on information provided in the English House Condition Survey (EHCS). Fuel poverty figures in England from 1996 for each year a survey was completed are set out in the following table. The collation of the EHCS has a time lag so the latest available figures are for 2004.
	
		
			  Million 
			   Number of households in fuel poverty in England  Number of vulnerable households in fuel poverty in England 
			 1996 5.1 4.0 
			 1998 3.4 2.8 
			 2001 1.7 1.4 
			 2002 1.4 1.2 
			 2003 1.2 1.0 
			 2004 1.2 1.0 
		
	
	A vulnerable fuel-poor household is defined as one containing an elderly person, a family with young children, a disabled person or someone suffering a long term illness.
	The Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 mandated the Government to produce a strategy and set targets to ensure that no household should live in fuel poverty. The UK Fuel Poverty Strategy, published in November 2001, sets out the Government's targets for the eradication of fuel poverty in England:
	to eradicate fuel poverty, as far as reasonably practicable, in vulnerable households by 2010
	that no household will remain in fuel poverty, as far as reasonably practicable, by 2016
	Similar targets exist in the devolved administrations.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many homes in the Peterborough constituency used the Warm Front scheme in each year since 2001.

Ian Pearson: In the first phase of the Warm Front Scheme, from June 2000 to June 2005, 2,562 households were assisted in the Peterborough constituency.
	In the current phase of Warm Front, for Peterborough, 121 households were assisted between June 2005 and March 2006, and 404 households were assisted between April and December 2006.

Insulation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the average installation charge levied on householders for  (a) cavity wall insulation and  (b) full loft insulation was by councils participating in a British Gas council tax discount scheme for energy-saving measures;
	(2)  what the average payment made to householders participating in a British Gas council tax discount scheme for energy-saving measures was in 2005-06; and whether such payments  (a) reflect the council tax banding of the property,  (b) are one-off or repeated payments and  (c) are paid by cheque or by council tax bill credit.

Ian Pearson: On the basis of the British Gas press release on 12 March, I understand that the average installation charge levied on householders participating in the British Gas council tax discount scheme for insulation measures is £250 for cavity wall insulation and £274 for full loft insulation.
	The average payment to householders participating in the scheme for insulation measures across the 44 current participating local authorities in 2005-06 was between £50 and £100, averaging £61.
	British Gas or the appropriate local authority can provide further information on the further details of the scheme.

Metals: Recycling

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to protect the trading interests of metal recycling companies from the requirements to disclose commercially confidential information under the revised Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations, to be introduced in July 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 20 March 2007
	The revised EC Waste Shipments Regulation (EC No. 1013/2006) introduces certain requirements for shipments of 'Green List' waste for recovery (recycling). These include an obligation on anyone shipping such waste to complete certain information on a form (Annex VII to the Regulation), and to ensure that this information accompanies the waste from the start of the shipment until it reaches its destination. The information on the form includes details of the producer of the waste and the broker or dealer involved in the shipment, when these are involved. This information is passed on to the facility receiving the waste when the waste is delivered.
	The UK has raised with the European Commission the issue of the potential commercial confidentiality of some of the information on the form. The Commission is currently working to establish whether it is possible, while ensuring compliance with the legal requirements of the revised EC Waste Shipments Regulation (WSR), for any of the information that should accompany shipments of 'Green List' waste to be withheld or partially withheld.
	My officials are in contact with representatives of the metal recycling companies in the UK about this issue and will keep them informed of developments.

Pesticides

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the objectives are of the Pesticides Safety Directorate's voluntary pilot scheme underway in the Midlands on the disclosure of information on pesticides being sprayed; when it is expected to report; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The objective of this pilot study is to run a small scale trial of a system for public disclosure of farmers' spray records with a view to:
	investigating the practicalities of handling 'third party' requests, including locating farms and identifying and contacting the individuals responsible for pesticide spraying in each case;
	determining the probable level of public interest and hence establishing whether there is a significant need for Government to act in a 'third party' role if it is not feasible for members of the public to get this information directly from farmers;
	determining the practical implications and estimating the likely cost of setting up and running a Government scheme on a national basis.
	The study is expected to run from 1 March to 31 August 2007. There will then need to be a period of analysis which may include some follow-up survey work involving inquirers and farmers from the study area. Officials aim to report the outcome of the study to Ministers by the end of the year. Once Ministers have considered all the relevant information a decision will be made on the way forward and a public announcement will be made.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Safety

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what responsibilities for aircraft safety are under the remit of the Civil Aviation Authority.

Gillian Merron: The CAA's functions in relation to aircraft safety are the registration of aircraft, the safety of air navigation and aircraft (including airworthiness), the certification of operators of aircraft and the licensing of aircrews and aerodromes.

Car Sharing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many kilometres of high occupancy vehicle lanes have been built or designated since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: A total of 4,715 lane kilometres of high occupancy vehicle lanes have been built or designated since 1997.

Departments: Internet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to his Department was of the Act on CO2 website.

Gillian Merron: The cost of the design and production of the Department's Act On CO2 micro-site was £110,270. The site is an integral part of the Act On CO2 campaign and all the advertising directs consumers to the site.

Departments: Internet

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on its revised website launched in February 2007.

Gillian Merron: The new DFT website was launched on 26 January this year. A new Content Management System has been implemented and the project costs are £1.5 million.
	These costs include accessibility and usability testing; design of a new information architecture based on user feedback and testing; development of a new visual design; the design and build of the system; migration of content; and the purchase of an enterprise software licence. The enterprise software licence allows the Department to migrate other DFT sites to the same Content Management System without incurring further licence costs. This will help to reduce hosting and maintenance costs across the Department.

Departments: Trade Unions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings  (a) he and  (b) his Department's Ministers held with trade union representatives in 2006.

Gillian Merron: Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

Driving Offences: Cellular Phones

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) deaths,  (b) serious incidents and  (c) other accidents caused by persons driving while using hand-held mobile telephones in each police force area in 2006.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested for 2006 will be available in summer 2007.

Gatwick Airport: Safety

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the Civil Aviation Authority's decision to allow a fifth ground handler on the operation and safety of Gatwick Airport.

Gillian Merron: The responsibility for determining any limits on the number of companies permitted to provided ground handling services at a UK airport rests with the Civil Aviation Authority under the Airports (Groundhandling) Regulations 1997. The CAA's assessment of the impact of revoking the limit on the number of ground handling service providers at Gatwick airport is set out in the CAA Official Record Series 2, number 1786, which was published on 20 February 2007.

In-flight Refuelling: Safety

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the safety implications of increasing the amount of in-flight refuelling in the aviation industry.

Gillian Merron: In-flight refuelling is not undertaken within any UK public transport aircraft operation, and the Civil Aviation Authority is not aware of any such activity within the wider civil aviation community. The authority has not received any proposition for civil aircraft to engage in in-flight refuelling, and no safety assessment has been made.

Public Transport: Rural Areas

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on improving public transport in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Local and central Government support for local bus services is now around £2&frac12; billion a year. This total includes rural bus subsidy grant (RBSG) specifically to support rural bus services. Since RBSG's introduction in 1998, a total of over £440 million has now been allocated to authorities by means of this grant.
	In addition, a total of £110 million has been awarded to authorities successful in rural bus challenge (RBC) competitions held from 1998 to 2003 to encourage innovative solutions to meeting rural transport needs. Many of the 300 projects initially supported by RBC funding are now continuing with mainstream funding from local authorities and other sources.
	We have also changed the route registration rules to encourage flexibly routed, demand-responsive bus services and made these services eligible for bus service operators grant (BSOG) from the Department.
	Our bus policy document 'Putting Passengers First', published in December, includes a range of proposals which we are now taking forward to improve bus and community transport services in rural and urban areas.
	We have also implemented the community rail policy on many rural routes, particularly branch lines. In recent years, some lines have seen patronage increase by over 150 per cent. as community rail principles are implemented.

Roads: Accidents

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road accidents resulting in  (a) fatalities and  (b) serious injury for (i) drivers, (ii) passengers and (iii) pedestrians there were in each police authority in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: Tables showing the number of reported personal injury road accidents resulting in  (a) fatalities and  (b) serious injury for (i) drivers/riders, (ii) passengers and (iii) pedestrians in Great Britain: 2001-05 (the latest year for which figures are available), broken down by police force, have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Tolls: Greater London

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) speeding fines,  (b) London congestion charge fines and  (c) parking fines were incurred by the Government Car and Despatch Agency in each year since 1997; what the value was of fines incurred in each category; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) has paid the following fines:
	
		
			   Total parking fines (£)  Congestion charge fines (£) 
			 1999-2000 2,610 n/a 
			 2000-01 1,820 n/a 
			 2001-02 2,760 n/a 
			 2002-03 4,900 n/a 
			 2003-04 7,570 n/a 
			 2004-05 5,610 205.00 
			 2005-06 7,470 350.00 
			 n/a = Not applicable. 
		
	
	Figures prior to 1999 could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	The Agency has paid no speeding fines.
	Parking restrictions within central London may make it impossible sometimes to deliver secure or sensitive documents to buildings or allow people with a high public profile to attend or leave buildings without putting themselves or secure documents at risk. In these cases, GCDA will pay the fine and recharge these costs to the customer as appropriate.

Tolls: Scotland

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on ensuring that Scottish stakeholders participate in discussions on a national system of road pricing.

Stephen Ladyman: Department for Transport officials and I are working very closely with the Scottish Executive as proposals for local road pricing schemes are being developed and as we take forward the debate on national road pricing.
	The Secretary of State met the Scottish Minister for Transport in October to discuss road pricing, and they have exchanged correspondence since.
	The Scottish Executive have a standing invitation to the Department's road pricing local liaison group through which we work with local authorities that are considering introducing local road pricing schemes.

Transport: Southern Region

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding the local transport authority in  (a) Suffolk,  (b) Bedfordshire,  (c) Cambridgeshire,  (d) Essex,  (e) Hertfordshire and  (f) Norfolk received (i) in total, (ii) per mile of road and (iii) per head of population in each year since 1997.

Gillian Merron: Tables 1 to 6 show the total local transport funding allocated to the aforementioned authorities for each year since 1997 (i) in total, (ii) per mile of road and (iii) per head of population.
	Total local transport funding, as included in the tables, comprises
	capital for the delivery of local transport plans (and for up to 1999-2000, the Transport Policies and Programmes submissions that preceded them), including for major local authority schemes, (which can vary substantially from year to year and between authorities);
	specific grants to local authorities for bus services;
	the Community Infrastructure Fund.
	
		
			  Bedfordshire 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Total Funding (£000) 3,692 3,513 5,045 4,660 9,229 11,262 10,468 9,918 10,645 10,850 
			 Funds per mile (£000) 2.17 2.07 2.97 2.74 5.43 6.62 6.15 5.83 6.26 6.38 
			 Funds (£ per head) 6.41 6.10 8.76 8.09 16.02 19.55 18.17 17.21 18.47 18.83 
		
	
	
		
			  Cambridgeshire 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Total Funding (£000) 8,542 5,113 8,596 8,357 16,076 17,119 20,163 30,377 27,916 27110 
			 Funds per mile (£000) 2.96 1.77 2.97 2.89 5.56 5.92 6.98 10.51 9.66 9.38 
			 Funds (£ per head) 14.76 8.83 14.85 14.44 27.77 29.58 34.84 52.48 48.23 46.84 
		
	
	
		
			  Essex 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Total Funding (£000) 6,615 6,474 10,116 13,510 35,878 36,674 28,953 29,544 35,685 36,441 
			 Funds per mile (£000) 1.31 1.28 2.00 2.67 7.09 7.25 5.72 5.84 7.05 7.20 
			 Funds (£ per head) 4.97 4.87 7.60 10.15 26.97 27.57 21.76 22.21 26.82 27.39 
		
	
	
		
			  Hertfordshire 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Total Funding (£000) 6,550 5,035 7,382 10,837 23,237 26,705 24,564 41,035 36,120 28133 
			 Funds per mile (£000) 2.16 1.66 2.44 3.58 7.67 8.82 8.11 13.55 11.92 9.29 
			 Funds (£ per head) 6.29 4.84 7.09 10.41 22.32 25.65 23.59 39.41 34.69 27.02 
		
	
	
		
			  Norfolk 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Total Funding (£000) 7,713 7,130 9,906 11,128 36,904 33,925 41,211 46,190 32,254 34,267 
			 Funds per mile (£000) 1.24 1.14 1.59 1.79 5.92 5.44 6.61 7.41 5.17 5.50 
			 Funds (£ per head) 9.45 8.73 12.13 13.63 45.20 41.55 50.47 56.57 39.50 41.97 
		
	
	
		
			  Suffolk 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Total Funding (£000) 4,939 5,838 6,756 9,914 22,688 21,975 22,760 31,333 34,717 38,261 
			 Funds per mile (£000) 1.16 1.37 1.59 2.33 5.34 5.18 5.36 7.38 8.18 9.01 
			 Funds (£ per head) 7.22 8.54 9.88 14.50 33.18 32.14 33.29 45.83 50.78 55.96 
		
	
	The Government also support local transport authorities through the general revenue support grant, and councils spend some of this support on highways and transport services according to their own priorities.

Transport: Transpennine Corridor

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the levels of  (a) road transport and  (b) rail transport in the Transpennine corridor.

Gillian Merron: The current levels of road traffic on the Transpennine routes at their busiest sections taken from the 2005 Traffic Monitoring-Data Analysis Report are:
	M62 Junction 25 (Huddersfield) and J27 (Leeds)—134,500 Annual Average Daily Traffic flow (17 per cent. of which is heavy goods vehicles)
	A66—15,000 AADT (28 per cent. HGV)
	A69—47,000 AADT (24 per cent. HGV)
	M67/A628/A616 (at M67 Jet 0-1)—52,100 AADT (13 per cent. HGV).
	The current level of rail traffic between Manchester and Leeds, using Huddersfield as a central measurement point, is an average of 104 trains in each direction on any weekday. Capacity on the core Leeds-Manchester section of the north Transpennine route was stepped up in December 2004 from three trains per hour to four trains per hour.
	The current level of rail traffic between Manchester and Sheffield, using Edale as a central measurement point, is an average of 44 trains in each direction on any weekday.

West Coast Railway Line

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce a decision on the procurement of extra carriages for the Pendolino trains operating on the West Coast Main Line; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Negotiations continue to take place with Virgin Trains and their partners over the provision of additional cars for the Pendolino trains. I cannot give any specific time scales at this stage.

West Coast Railway Line

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to assist in the procurement of extra carriages for the Pendolino trains operating on the West Coast Main Line; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Officials from the Department for Transport are actively working with Virgin Trains and their partners over the commercial and operational issues relating to the provision of additional accommodation on the Pendolino trains.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Trooper Williams

Ben Wallace: To ask the Solicitor-General what the cost was of the  (a) defence teams,  (b) prosecution teams and  (c) other costs related to the prosecution of Trooper Williams for alleged crimes in Iraq in 2005.

Mike O'Brien: The total prosecution costs in this case were £28,195.24. I have been told by the Legal Services Commission that the total Crown court legal aid costs were £151,526. I am not aware of other costs. The costs of the investigation are not kept by my Department.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Budget and Revenues Sub-Group

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list attendees of the Budget and Revenues Sub-Group between February to July 2004.

Tessa Jowell: The Budgets and Revenue Sub-Group included representatives from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, HM Treasury, the Greater London Authority (GLA), London 2012 Ltd., Government Office for London, the London Development Agency and the British Olympic Association.

Casino Advisory Panel

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what evidence the Casino Advisory Panel received on the economic multiplier effect of situating a regional casino licence  (a) in a large city and  (b) elsewhere.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 19 March 2007
	In its call for proposals published on 31 January 2006, the Casino Advisory Panel asked all local authorities as part of their proposals to explain how and why they expected that the "multiplier effect" of the additional economic activity to be created by the proposal would outweigh the potential leakage of money from the local economy.
	When relevant evidence was received it was taken into account by the panel and published on its website. The panel was also able to draw on its own extensive expertise in similar economic impact assessments.

Casino Advisory Panel

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make the transcripts of the evidence in public sessions held by the Casino Advisory Panel available to the public.

Richard Caborn: Transcripts of the recordings made of all seven of the Casino Advisory Panel's examinations in public are currently being prepared, and will be published shortly.

Gambling: Finance

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has held with the Responsibility in Gambling Trust on industry funding and the implications for a statutory levy under section 123 of the Gambling Act 2005.

Richard Caborn: My Department has met representatives of the gambling industry and the Responsibility in Gambling Trust on many occasions, and discussed industry contributions to problem gambling research, education and treatment. If more is needed, and not delivered by the industry, the Act has powers to impose a statutory levy. We will use those powers if necessary.

Gaming Clubs

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the differences are in  (a) scale and  (b) nature of operation between regional casinos, large casinos and small casinos under the 2005 legislation.

Richard Caborn: The following table sets out the scale and nature of the operation of the three new categories of casinos permitted under the Gambling Act 2005.
	
		
			   Type of casino 
			   Small  Medium  Large 
			 Minimum area (sq m) 750 1500 5000 
			 Minimum number of gaming tables 1 1 40 
			 Category of gaming machines permitted Up to B1 Up to B1 Up to A 
			 Maximum number of gaming machines 80 150 1250 
			 Machine table ratio 2:1 5:1 25:1 
			 Bingo permitted no yes yes 
			 Betting permitted yes yes yes

Gaming Clubs: Licensing

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to publish the detail of her Department's consideration of  (a) the Casino Advisory Panel's (CAP) report on the location of the new casinos and  (b) the representations she has received about the CAP's recommendations.

Tessa Jowell: I made clear in my statement to the House on 30 January that I wanted to take time to consider the panel's report carefully. The outcome of this period of consideration is reflected in the draft order which I laid in the House on 1 March. I have concluded that the panel has taken its terms of reference seriously, has applied them in a balanced and consistent way and has tested its results back against the original terms of reference. I am satisfied that the panel has arrived at robust recommendations as a result.
	As required by the Gambling Act 2005,1 have consulted Scottish Ministers and the Welsh Assembly on the draft order, and they were content that the draft order should reflect the panel's recommendations in full.
	On 20 February I met a delegation of Members and Peers who were sympathetic to Blackpool's proposal to the panel, and have received written representations from members of this group. The Department has also received around 270 letters from members of the public.

Leasehold

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2007,  Official Report, column 2057W, on departmental fixed assets, what the length of any lease outstanding on those properties was.

David Lammy: Pursuant to my answer to the hon. Member on 26 January 2007,  Official Report, column 2057W, on departmental fixed assets, the length of any lease outstanding on those properties at the point of sale was as follows:
	
		
			   Years 
			 30 Park Street 71 
			 31 Park Street 71 
			 32 Park Street 72

National Lottery: Grants

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Big Lottery funding went to  (a) statutory and  (b) voluntary organisations in each year since the Big Lottery Fund's establishment; and how she expects the balance of funding for such organisations to be affected as a result of the 15 March 2007 decision to divert lottery funding to the London Olympics.

Richard Caborn: The Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund were administratively merged on 1 June 2004 to create the Big Lottery Fund, which became a legal entity on 1 December 2006. Since 2004-05, the total annual Community Fund budget and approximately 40 per cent. of the New Opportunities Fund budget were allocated to the voluntary and community sector. From 2006-07, the Big Lottery Fund made a new undertaking to allocate 60-70 per cent. of its total budget to the voluntary and community sector. It will be reporting on its performance against this target in its annual report.
	The Big Lottery Fund does not expect the balance of funding, on current commitments, between statutory and voluntary and community sector organisations to be affected following the statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 15 March 2007.

National Lottery: Grants

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will break down by lottery distributor the money transferred from the Lottery to fund the Olympics.

Richard Caborn: We will, subject to parliamentary approval, transfer £1,085 million from non-Olympic lottery proceeds to the Olympic funding package. Of this, approximately £638 million will be transferred from the Big Lottery Fund. The remainder will be shared between 11 of the other 12 non-Olympic lottery distributors in proportion to their fixed shares of income from the lottery. However, no transfer will be made from UK Sport.
	The amounts to be transferred from each non-Olympic distributor to make up this amount, rounded to the nearest £0.1 million, are detailed in the following table.
	In addition, £750 million will be raised from Olympic lottery products and the five sports lottery distributors will distribute a further £340 million to maximise the benefit to British sport of hosting the games.
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Arts Council England 112.5 
			 UK Film Council 21.8 
			 Arts Council of Northern Ireland 4.5 
			 Scottish Arts Council 12.5 
			 Scottish Screen 1.8 
			 Arts Council of Wales 8.1 
			 Big Lottery Fund 638.1 
			 Heritage Lottery Fund 161.2 
			 Sport England 99.9 
			 Sports Council for Northern Ireland 4.1 
			 SportScotland 13.1 
			 Sports Council for Wales 7.3 
			 UK Sport 0 
			 Total 1,085

National Lottery: Grants

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how the Government intends  (a) to define and  (b) to audit and report on the pledge that the voluntary sector will get the same level of resources from the Big Lottery Fund that it would otherwise have received.

Richard Caborn: The Big Lottery Fund will monitor its undertaking that 60-70 per cent. of its funding up to 2009 will go to the Voluntary Sector Scheme (VCS). It will report on progress towards this undertaking in its annual report. Following wide consultation, the Big Lottery Fund uses the HM Treasury definition of the "third sector", which encompasses voluntary and community organisations, charities, social enterprises, mutuals and co-operatives in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In Wales it used the definition adopted by the VCS and the Welsh Assembly Government as part of the Voluntary Sector Scheme.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps have been taken to audit the  (a) tender and  (b) construction phase of the Olympic build; and what further steps are planned.

Tessa Jowell: There is an established framework for internal auditing within the ODA. This covers all aspects of procurement from process to specific contract audits. The National Audit Office is also about to start its review, which will include the procurement process.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the adequacy of procedures in place to audit the  (a) tender and  (b) construction phase of the Olympics build.

Tessa Jowell: The ODA has a thorough internal audit system in place. The internal audit programme is reviewed monthly by the ODA's Audit Committee. Both the DCMS and the National Audit Office attend the Audit Committee as observers and are able to raise any matters of concern.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of the Olympic Park is owned by or under the control of  (a) the Love Lea Valley Park Authority,  (b) the Olympic Delivery Authority,  (c) the London Development Agency and  (d) other public bodies.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 9 March 2007
	Ninety-three per cent. of the freehold of land required for the Olympic Park is now in public sector control.
	This 93 per cent. represents approximately 290 hectares of the 312 hectares of land required for the development of the Olympic Park. The vast majority of this land is either owned by the LDA or controlled through a series of agreements with other public sector bodies such as the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. The 312 hectares also includes 87 hectares of land comprising the Stratford city development that is controlled by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).
	The remaining land required for the Olympic Park will be acquired through negotiation or using the LDA's approved compulsory purchase powers.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the date was of the Cabinet meeting at which the London 2012 Olympic Budget as it appeared in the London 2012 Candidate File was agreed.

Tessa Jowell: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet committees is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2007,  Official Report, column 99W, on Olympic Games: Greater London, what the date was of the meeting at which the London 2012 Olympic Budget was agreed by the Government; and who attended that meeting.

Tessa Jowell: Information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet committees, including when they meet, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will assess the feasibility of holding the Olympic shooting events at Southern Counties Shooting at Evershot.

Richard Caborn: The Royal Artillery barracks at Woolwich were agreed as the venue for the shooting events after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave feedback to the London bid organisers on the venue portfolio submitted for London as an Applicant City in 2004. The Royal Artillery barracks are, therefore, part of the Host City Contract agreement with the IOC. There are currently no plans to move the Olympic shooting events to an alternative venue.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings her Department  (a) had before and  (b) has had since the Olympic Games 2012 budget was submitted to the International Olympic Committee with representatives of the Metropolitan Police on security (i) provision and (ii) costs; and whether HM Treasury representatives (A) were invited to and (B) attended such meetings.

Tessa Jowell: Before and after submission of the London 2012 bid, there have been various meetings involving representatives of my Department and the Metropolitan Police, both about the security planning and potential costs. Treasury representatives have been invited and involved where appropriate.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will estimate the cost of  (a) demolishing and  (b) rebuilding facilities for shooting sports for the 2012 Olympic games; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 12 March 2007,  Official Report, column 62W.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that the 2012 Olympic games leave a positive legacy for shooting sports in the UK.

Richard Caborn: The Government are working hard with the London 2012 Organising Committee and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to ensure a lasting legacy for all Olympic sports, including shooting, for London and the UK as a whole. The ODA and the Organising Committee venues team are looking carefully at the post-games uses of all proposed facilities being developed for the shooting competitions at Woolwich.
	The biggest legacy that we aim to achieve for shooting, working with the National Governing Body and International Federation, is for more people to have experienced the sport in person. Hosting the games in the UK gives us a unique opportunity to open up Olympic and Paralympic sports to new audiences and thus increase interest and participation in them.

Public Houses: Music

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what research her Department has carried out relating to the provision of live music in pubs and clubs.

Shaun Woodward: In 2004, DCMS published a baseline survey of live music staged in England and Wales. This looked at premises, including pubs and clubs, where live music performances typically take place in addition to the main business of the establishment. This research is available in the Library of the House and on the DCMS website:
	<http://www.culture.gov.uk/Reference_library/Publications/archive_2004/livemusic_in_england_wales.htm>.
	A follow-up to this survey will take place later this year.
	Separate research, focusing on the experience of smaller establishments in applying for live music licences under the new licensing regime, was published in 2006. This is available in the Library of the House and on the DCMS website:
	www.culture.gov.uk/Reference_library/Research/research_by_dcms/live_music_exec_summary.htm
	In 2006, the DCMS also commissioned a study to look at the feasibility of investigating the economic impact of live music in local areas. The results will be published on the Department's website and will be placed in the Library of the House shortly.
	In addition, the independent Live Music Forum has been monitoring the early effects of the Act on the live music sector. I look forward to receiving its report in the spring.

Public Libraries: Standards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Government plan to reduce the number of public library service standards that local authorities must report.

David Lammy: The Public Library Service Standards are currently under review. Consideration of the number of indicators in the replacement model, which will have a discretionary base, continues. The new model will be in place by April 2008.

Sports: Schools

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what basis cities were selected to host the UK School Games which she announced on 7 March 2007.

Richard Caborn: The criteria issued by the Millennium Commission for applications from bidders wishing to host the UK School Games in 2007-11 were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 14 November.
	This guidance specified that selection of the successful bids would be made by Ministers on the basis of those criteria and the recommendations of the assessors. Following the winding up of the Millennium Commission on 30 November 2006, its responsibilities were transferred to the Big Lottery Fund.

Television: Telephone Services

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what powers are available to  (a) Ofcom and  (b) the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services to take action against broadcasters found to have misled the public over their use of premium-rate phone-in lines.

Shaun Woodward: Ofcom has a range of statutory sanctions that it may impose on broadcasters found in serious breach of its broadcasting code. Depending on the severity of the breach, these can include a direction to broadcast a summary of Ofcom's adjudication, a financial penalty and, in the most serious of cases, the shortening or revocation of a licence. ICSTIS also has a range of powers to take action against premium rate service (PRS) providers found in serious breach of the ICSTIS code. These include the power to fine PRS providers up to £250,000, barring access to individual services and banning named individuals from operating services for set periods.

Terrorism: Compensation

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether it is intended that the charitable fund to help British citizens affected by terrorism abroad will cover the spouses of British service personnel killed by terrorist action.

Tessa Jowell: Service personnel and their spouses currently receive compensation from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, which offers financial support for personnel who have been killed or injured in the line of duty. Spouses of those who died in service are also entitled to receive payments from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme.
	The charitable fund is primarily intended to assist UK residents who are travelling overseas or on holiday. Applications would not normally be accepted from victims who are in an affected area as part of their employment and for whom assistance packages are already in place.

Terrorism: Compensation

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when further details will be announced concerning the charitable fund to help British citizens affected by terrorism abroad that was announced in the March 2006 budget.

Tessa Jowell: We will be announcing further details of the charitable fund for British victims of overseas terrorism shortly.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding has been allocated to the Tackling Underage Sales of Alcohol campaign to be launched in May.

Vernon Coaker: Total funding available for allocation to the Tackling Underage Sales of Alcohol Campaign is £1.2 million. Police basic command units that intend to participate (in partnership with Trading Standards) must complete a bid form to be entitled to funding, payable on proof of completion of the operations undertaken.

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what performance measures he plans to use to assess the Tackling Underage Sales of Alcohol campaign.

Vernon Coaker: The Tackling Underage Sales of Alcohol campaign is likely to result in the issuing of penalty notices for disorder and additionally licence reviews and prosecutions for the illegal sale of alcohol to minors. Details of these will be recorded and analysed centrally. Informal qualitative feedback will also be considered. Test purchase failure rates will not be used as an overall generic indicator of performance, as the campaign specifically aims to target problem premises, selected at the discretion of local enforcement agencies. Local police commanders and partnerships will use the results of the activity to focus their efforts and resources on key local hot spots.

Antisocial Behaviour

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 28 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1351W, on anti-social behaviour; what criteria the Government plan to use to determine whether an area is eligible for respect zone funding.
	(2)  how much has been allocated to respect zones for 2006-07; and how much each participating Government Department contributed towards such funding.

Vernon Coaker: Respect Areas were confirmed on 22 January 2007. The only additional funding which is currently available in return for securing Respect Area status, is access to up to £125,000 from the Department for Education and Skills to help improve parenting programmes linked to tackling antisocial behaviour. This funding is available for 2007-08 only.
	Respect Areas have been identified from a longer list of 77 areas with significant challenges, based on an index of data covering rates of deprivation, public perceptions of antisocial behaviour, teenage pregnancy, truancy and use of antisocial behaviour orders. The 40 Respect Areas have been identified as having a track record in taking action to tackle antisocial behaviour and have demonstrated a commitment and capacity to do more.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Custodial Treatment

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many breaches of antisocial behaviour orders occurred in 2006; and how many of these ended in custodial detention.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 22 February 2007
	ASBO breach data are currently available up to 31 December 2005 only. Data for 2006 are expected to be available later this year.

Asylum

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the number of failed asylum seekers  (a) living in the UK and  (b) who were living in the UK in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 28 February 2007
	As the Home Secretary set out in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 23 May 2006, no Government have been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally, and that remains the case.

Asylum

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time was between final refusal and deportation for asylum seekers who exhausted all avenues of appeal in the latest period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: Since the abolition of embarkation controls in 1994 we cannot assess with any certainty the numbers of people who remain in the UK. In this context it is very difficult to provide an accurate average time it may take to remove those who have no right to remain here.

Asylum

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers his Department has recorded as missing from their last registered address in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information could be provided only by individual examination of case records and the cost of obtaining it would therefore be disproportionate.

Asylum: Deportation

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to which countries failed asylum seekers were returned in 2006; and how many were returned in each case.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows provisional figures rounded to the nearest five of persons who had claimed asylum at some stage who were removed from the United Kingdom in 2006, by destination.
	Information on asylum removals, including and excluding dependants, is published quarterly and annually. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		
			  Removals and voluntary departures( 1 ) of asylum( ) applicants, by destination, 2006( 2,3) 
			Of whom: 
			  Destination( 4)  Total asylum seekers removed  Principle asylum applicants  Dependants of asylum applicants 
			 Albania 1,345 1,250 95 
			 Macedonia 25 20 5 
			 Moldova 55 45 5 
			 Romania 380 245 135 
			 Russia 110 75 35 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 855 770 85 
			 Turkey 1,695 1,590 105 
			 Ukraine 105 90 20 
			 EU Accession States 175 165 10 
			 Other Former USSR 220 175 45 
			 Europe other 2,035 1,885 150 
			 Europe total 7,005 6,310 690 
			 
			 Colombia 210 170 40 
			 Ecuador 100 70 30 
			 Jamaica 430 365 65 
			 Americas other 200 145 55 
			 Americas total 940 750 190 
			 
			 Algeria 300 210 90 
			 Angola 125 95 30 
			 Burundi 10 5 * 
			 Cameroon 45 40 * 
			 Congo 65 60 10 
			 Democratic Republic of Congo 115 105 10 
			 Eritrea * * . 
			 Ethiopia 85 80 5 
			 Gambia 70 70 * 
			 Ghana 170 155 15 
			 Ivory Coast 35 30 5 
			 Kenya 135 120 15 
			 Liberia 20 15 5 
			 Nigeria 690 635 55 
			 Rwanda 15 15 * 
			 Sierra Leone 90 90 5 
			 Somalia 45 40 5 
			 Sudan 75 75 * 
			 Tanzania 60 50 10 
			 Uganda 230 220 15 
			 Zimbabwe 270 220 50 
			 Africa other 325 265 60 
			 Africa total 2,980 2,590 385 
			 
			 Iran 475 420 55 
			 Iraq 1,775 1,725 50 
			 Libya 45 35 15 
			 Syria 55 40 15 
			 Middle East other 330 250 80 
			 Middle East total 2,680 2,470 210 
			 
			 Afghanistan 970 965 5 
			 Bangladesh 250 240 10 
			 China 270 270 5 
			 India 550 510 40 
			 Pakistan 1,190 870 320 
			 Sri Lanka 695 655 40 
			 Vietnam 140 130 10 
			 Asia other 475 410 65 
			 Asia total 4,540 4,045 495 
			 Nationality not known/other 90 80 10 
			 Grand total 18,235 16,250 1,985 
			 (1 )Includes persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under the Assisted Voluntary Return Programme run by the International Organisation for Migration, and those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (2 )Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 with * = 1 or 2. Data may not sum due to rounding. (3. )Provisional figures (4 )Destination data as recorded on source database.

Azal Mohammed Ibrahim

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to deport Mr. Azal Mohammed Ibrahim, an Iraqi Kurd convicted of causing the death of a child by careless driving.

Liam Byrne: I am not able to comment publicly on individual cases within the House.

British Nationality

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people living in the United Kingdom were not UK citizens in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 28 February 2007
	The requested information is not available.
	However, the labour force survey has been used to estimate take-up rates of British citizenship and these entail some estimates of the number of non-British citizens in the UK; these are published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Persons Granted British Citizenship United Kingdom, 2005", which may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Burglary: Drugs

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people were convicted of  (a) domestic burglary and  (b) drug offences in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the north-east and (iv) England and Wales in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people were convicted of serious violent crime offences in  (a) the Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many people were convicted of violent crime offences in  (a) the Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the north-east and  (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for the number of people convicted at all courts of burglary, drug, and violent crime offences in South Tyneside, the north-east and England and Wales, 2001 to 2005 can be found in the table.
	From the court proceedings database it is not possible to identify those offenders in the Jarrow constituency, as the data are not collected at this level of detail.
	
		
			  Number of persons convicted in the North East region for certain offence types, 1997 to 2005( 1, 2) 
			   North East 
			  Offence type  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Violent crime(3) 2,929 3,145 3,104 2,885 2,993 3,109 2,968 2,908 3,107 
			 Serious violent crime(4) 830 817 734 562 500 557 534 491 472 
			 Burglary in a dwelling and aggravated burglary in a dwelling(5) 1,474 1,423 1,307 1,004 1,091 1,206 1,007 790 776 
			 Drug offences 1,526 2,194 2,528 2,773 3,340 3,624 3,816 2,687 2,759 
			 Total 6,759 7,579 7,673 7,224 7,924 8,496 8,325 6,876 7,114 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Violent crime includes violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. (4) Serious violent crime includes: murder, attempted murder, threat or conspiracy to murder, manslaughter, infanticide, causing death by dangerous driving, manslaughter due to diminished responsibility, causing death by dangerous driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, causing death by aggravated vehicle taking, wounding or other act endangering life, and endangering railway passengers. (5) Domestic burglary: burglary in a dwelling and aggravated burglary in a dwelling (including attempts).  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons convicted in England and Wales for certain offence types, 1997 to 2005( 1, 2, 3) 
			   England and Wales 
			  Offence type  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Violent crime(4) 44,674 47,159 45,630 45,104 46,163 49,803 49,694 51,415 52,820 
			 Serious violent crime(5) 8771 8271 7729 7138 7178 7566 7013 6911 6510 
			 Burglary in a dwelling and aggravated burglary in a dwelling(6) 17,870 17,306 16,387 14,471 13,684 14,622 14,540 13,503 12,820 
			 Drug offences 40,666 48,821 48,711 44,621 45,621 49,036 51,162 39,197 39,090 
			 Total 111,981 121,557 118/157 111,334 112,646 121,027 122,409 111,026 111,240 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Staffordshire police force were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000. Estimates based on this sample are included in the figures, as they are considered sufficiently robust at this high level of analysis. (4) Violent crime includes violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. (5) Serious violent crime includes: murder, attempted murder, threat or conspiracy to murder, manslaughter, infanticide, causing death by dangerous driving, manslaughter due to diminished responsibility, causing death by dangerous driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, causing death by aggravated vehicle taking, wounding or other act endangering life, and endangering railway passengers. (6) Domestic burglary: burglary in a dwelling and aggravated burglary in a dwelling (including attempts).  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Departments: Appeals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many independent bodies existed to hear appeals on decisions made by his Department and its executive agencies in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 2001-02 and  (c) 2005-06; and how many there have been in 2006-07 to date.

Liam Byrne: The following independent bodies existed to hear appeals on decisions made by the Home Office or its executive agencies:
	 (a) in 1997-98, four:
	(i) immigration adjudicators under the Immigration Appeals Act 1969
	(ii) the Immigration Appeals Tribunal under the Immigration Appeals Act 1969
	(iii) the Policy and Advisory Board for Forensic Pathology in relation to disciplinary proceedings against forensic pathologists on the Home Office register
	(iv) persons appointed to hear representations against proposed decisions in relation to licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986
	 (b) in 2001-02, eight:
	(i)-(iv) the four bodies mentioned above
	(v) the Special Immigration Appeals Commission under the Special Immigration Appeals Commission Act 1997
	(vi) Asylum Support Adjudicators under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
	(vii) the Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission under the Terrorism Act 2000
	(viii) the Pathogens Access Appeal Commission, set up under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001
	 (c) in 2005-06, seven:
	(i) the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal under the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Act 2004
	(ii) the Appeals Panel of the Home Office Forensic Pathology Council
	(iii)-(vii) the five bodies mentioned at (iv) to (viii) above
	 (d) in 2006-07, the seven bodies mentioned under  (c) above.

Departments: Pay

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff awarded special bonus scheme bonuses since 2003-04 worked on  (a) foreign prisoner release,  (b) prison building,  (c) updating data from foreign police records,  (d) identity card assessments,  (e) the sex offenders' register and  (f) police force mergers.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Deportation

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time was between  (a) tribunal rejection of applications to remain by asylum seekers and  (b) rejection of human rights appeals and deportation or departure.

Liam Byrne: Since the abolition of embarkation controls in 1994 we cannot assess with any certainty the numbers of people who remain in the UK. In this context it is very difficult to provide an accurate average time it may take to remove those who have no right to remain here.

Entry Clearances

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when George Barango, Ref: B401610, a constituent of the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, will receive a notice of decision on his application made on 8 October 1999.

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to my hon. Friend on 6 March 2007 with the information requested.

Fraud: Internet

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the procedure is for reporting cases of suspected fraudulent sales on the internet; how many investigations have taken place into allegations of such fraud; how many prosecutions in which all proceedings are complete have taken place; and what the outcome was of such prosecutions.

Vernon Coaker: The National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) and Home Office Counting Rules (HOCR) govern the recording of crime in England and Wales. These are publicly available documents and can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/countrules.html
	The police deal with reports of incidents in accordance with the General Principles of NCRS which state:
	"All reports of incidents, whether from victims, witnesses or third parties and whether crime related or not, will result in the registration of an incident report by police".
	Following the initial registration, an incident will be recorded as a crime (Notifiable offence) if, on the balance of probability:
	 (a) the circumstances as reported amount to a crime defined by law (the police will determine this, based on their knowledge of the law and counting rules), and  (b) there is no credible evidence to the contrary.
	Once recorded, a crime would remain recorded unless there was additional verifiable information to disprove that a crime had occurred."
	The Counting Rules also include specific instructions that relate to the recording of crime in connection with goods ordered over the internet which are as follows:
	Location of crime: Goods ordered over the internet:
	If goods ordered over the internet (or by phone, mail etc.) do not arrive due to a fraudulent operation, then the following rules apply in order of priority:
	If the location of the suspect(s) is either unknown or outside England and Wales, then the crime should be recorded in the force/BCD in whose area the victim is located when they place the order.
	If the location of the suspect(s) becomes known and is within England and Wales, then record in the force/BCU area covering that location.
	If payment is made electronically then the venue will be the address of the account holder into which the money is transferred or if no address then the address of the bank, provided this is not at headquarters or the site of a computer server.
	With regard to the number of investigations, prosecutions and outcomes of frauds directly relating to the internet, this information is not available centrally.

Immigrants: Somalia

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many Somali nationals have been returned to Somalia from the UK over the last two years, broken down by  (a) those who voluntarily returned to Somalia and  (b) those who were forcibly removed to Somalia;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of Somali nationals in the UK who do not have leave to remain.

Liam Byrne: No estimate has been made regarding the number of Somali nationals in the UK who have no leave to remain. As the Home Secretary set out in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 23 May 2006, no Government have been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally, and that remains the case.
	The following table shows the number of Somali nationals removed from the UK in 2004 and 2005, broken down by type of applicant and type of removal.
	The information provided comes from published statistics. Information on removals in 2006 will be published in the summer on the Home Office's research development and statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		
			  Removals, voluntary departures and assisted returns( 1, 2)  of Somalia to Somalia, 2004-05( 3, 4) 
			  Number of persons 
			   2004  2005  Total 
			 Total persons removed(1, 2) 30 20 55 
			  Of whom:
			 Principal asylum applicants(5) 25 15 40 
			 Dependants of asylum applicants 5 5 15 
			 Non-asylum cases * — * 
			 
			 Persons removed and voluntary departures(6, 7) 15 5 20 
			  Of whom:
			 Principal asylum applicants(5) 10 5 15 
			 Dependants of asylum applicants * — * 
			 Non-asylum cases * — * 
			 
			 Persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes(8) 15 15 35 
			  Of whom:
			 Principal asylum applicants(5) 10 10 20 
			 Dependants of asylum applicants 5 5 10 
			 Non-asylum cases(9) — — — 
			 (1 )Includes enforced removals, persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes run by the International Organization for Migration and in 2005 those who it is established have left the UK without informing authorities. (2) Includes cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls. (3 )Figures rounded to the nearest five, with — = 0, * = 1 or 2, and may not sum due to rounding. (4 )Provisional figures. (5 )Persons who had sought asylum at some stage, excluding dependants. (6) Includes persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated against them and in 2005 those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (7) Excludes assisted voluntary returns. (8 )Persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. May include some cases where enforcement action has been initiated. (9) Persons leaving under the assisted voluntary return for irregular migrants programme run by the International Organisation for Migration. May include some on-entry cases and some cases where enforcement action has been initiated. Removals under this scheme began in December 2004.

Immigration

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration officers are stationed permanently at the port of Holyhead.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 7 March 2007
	All ferry services to Holyhead are from within the Common Travel Area. Controls are operated on an intelligence-led basis.

Immigration Detention

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many days between 10 December 2006 and 10 January 2007 the male immigration detention estate in London was unable to admit new entrants; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I am advised that during the period from 10 December 2006 to 10 January 2007, admission has been possible within the London male immigration detention estate. Harmondsworth, Colnbrook and Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centres).

Passports: Interviews

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the speech of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department in the Adjournment debate of 12 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 131-4, on passport interview centres, what consultations he has undertaken with stakeholders from  (a) Somerset and  (b) Taunton in deciding the location of remote interview facilities for passport application interviews.

Joan Ryan: Consultation on the proposed location of passport remote interview facilities in sparsely populated parts of the UK, as defined by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), was undertaken with local and regional bodies in those areas. Somerset is not defined as a sparsely populated area in this context.

Passports: Interviews

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the speech of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department in the Adjournment debate of 12 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 131-4, on passport interview centres, when the interview centres in  (a) Barnstaple,  (b) Bristol,  (c) Exeter and  (d) Yeovil will be fully operational; and for how many days per week each will be open.

Joan Ryan: The requirement to attend an interview will be introduced gradually, starting with interviews in a limited number of interview offices in the next few months, with further offices being added progressively through to the end of 2007.
	The number of days per week each interview office will open are:
	
		
			  Interview centre  Number of days 
			  (a) Barnstable 2 
			  (b) Bristol 5 
			  (c) Exeter 3 
			  (d) Yeovil 3

Police: Vetting

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken by the police force in  (a) Suffolk,  (b) Bedfordshire,  (c) Cambridgeshire,  (d) Essex, (e) Hertfordshire and  (f) Norfolk was to respond to inquiries from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) as part of routine CRB checks in each year since 1997.

Joan Ryan: The following table illustrates the average number of days taken by the police forces in  (a) Suffolk,  (b) Bedfordshire  (c) Cambridgeshire,  (d) Essex,  (e) Hertfordshire and  (f) Norfolk to conduct checks against their local intelligence systems between the launch of the CRB disclosure service on 11 March 2002 and the end of February 2007.
	
		
			  Average turnaround times 
			   Financial year 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Bedfordshire 2.1 1.9 4.9 2.5 3.7 
			 Cambridgeshire 14.1 13.0 18.9 16.2 18.6 
			 Essex 9.6 12.0 20.4 8.5 14.3 
			 Hertfordshire 5.0 5.2 14.9 13.8 14.4 
			 Norfolk 3.5 7.1 8.0 18.5 29.8 
			 Suffolk 14.8 11.8 12.3 14.4 11.2 
		
	
	A revised service level agreement (SLA) came into effect in April 2006 between the CRB and the 43 police forces of England and Wales. This new agreement, which was agreed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) places an additional focus on delivery and the responsibility of Chief Officers and ACPO to ensure that the obligations within the SLA are met. Monthly performance figures since April 2006 are now published on the CRB website at:
	www.crb.gov.uk

Robbery: Cash Dispensing

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were attacked while replenishing cash machines in 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: These statistics are not collected centrally.
	The Government recognise the seriousness of Cash and Valuables in Transit (CVIT) robbery and the impact these attacks have on both victims and witnesses. We are therefore working with stakeholders to establish a Government and cross-industry response to the problem.

Sherhan Yildrim

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the circumstances were of the release from prison of Mr. Sherhan Yildrim.

Liam Byrne: I am not able to comment on individual cases within the House.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Businesses: Orders and Regulations

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the  (a) one-off cost and  (b) recurring costs of implementing the (i) Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 and (ii) Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 to (A) businesses and (B) the regulators.

Anne McGuire: The information is as follows.
	(i) The total costs of implementing the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 in the first year were estimated to be between £117.0 million and £202.6 million. Costs were estimated, in present value terms, to be between £477.6 million and £676.3 million over the first 10 years. Costs were estimated to be £1.13 billion to £1.94 billion over 40 years, in present value terms(1).
	The additional costs to health and safety regulators were not considered to be substantial. There were pre-existing regulations, implemented in 1989, and ensuring compliance with the new requirements would be subsumed into current inspection activities.
	(ii) The first year costs of implementing the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 were estimated to be between £201 million and £358 million. Over the first 10 years, total costs were estimated, in present value terms, to be between £2,377 million and £4,300 million.
	The initial costs to regulators were estimated to be around £65,000 for training inspectors (mainly HSE) and around £300,000 for conducting research into whole-body vibration exposures to assist industry by producing generic risk assessments for machines expected to cause higher exposures(2).
	Enforcing the regulations is unlikely to increase costs because enforcement action will be absorbed as part of the full range of inspection duties carried out by inspectors.
	The information in this reply was drawn from the final regulatory impact assessment for the legislation that is available in the Library or on the HSE website at
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/ria/index.htm.
	The Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are committed to meeting the Better Regulation challenge. The HSE is constantly reviewing what can be done better to ensure that people are protected at work while avoiding unnecessary burdens on business.
	(1) All costs are calculated in 2000-01 prices.
	(2) All costs are calculated in 2001-02 prices.

Carers: Learning Disability

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what Government-funded support is available for carers of people with profound and multiple learning difficulties.

Anne McGuire: Depending on their personal circumstances, carers have access to the full range of social security benefits, including carer's allowance. To qualify for carer's allowance, carers must satisfy a number of eligibility conditions, and the person for whom they provide care has to be receiving either the middle or highest rate care component of the disability living allowance, or attendance allowance.

Departmental Websites

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many user visits were recorded on the National Pensions Debate website in each month in 2006.

James Purnell: Activity throughout the national pension debate site from January 2006 to May 2006 resulted in 56,648 visits and 23,888 unique visitors.
	Activity throughout the pension reform site from June to December 2006 resulted in 187,787 visits and 69,215 unique visitors.
	The site received the following visits and unique visitors in each month in 2006.
	
		
			  Activity  Period  Visits  Unique visitors 
			 www.dwp.gov.uk/pensionsreform/debate/(1) January 2006 6,251 3,077 
			  February 2006 7,508 3,658 
			  March 2006 21,632 9,606 
			  April 2006 8,456 3,763 
			  May 2006 12,801 6,903 
			 www.dwp.gov.uk/pensionsreform(2) June 2006 22,675 11,017 
			  July 2006 17,104 7,588 
			  August 2006 21,779 9,042 
			  September 2006 29,418 14,528 
			  October 2006 30,516 13,906 
			  November 2006 33,032 14,537 
			  December 2006 33,263 12,906 
			 (1) The content of the national pensions debate site was restructured in June 2006. Background information was retained but main information was absorbed into the pension reform site. (2) To reflect change in site structure figures provided from June 2006, show visits to the pensions reform site.  Notes: Visits—Number of times a visitor or visitors came to the site. Each visit is recorded separately for every visit more than thirty minutes apart. Unique Visitors—Individuals who visited your site during the report period. If someone visits more than once, they are counted only the first time they visit

Departments: Renewable Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1216W, on renewable energy, what plans he has to increase the amount of energy from renewable sources used by his Department.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions currently sources 53.5 per cent. of its total electricity from renewable sources. This is in excess of the original Government target to source 10 per cent. of electricity from renewable sources by 31 March 2008, which remains mandated within the new targets for Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate.
	The Department's estate partner Land Securities Trillium is required to source electricity using competitive tender. Bids are sought on the basis of maintaining current supplies for the Department, which ensures that the Department maintains its own performance while not compromising the ability of the market to supply to others.
	In order to increase the volume of renewable energy available, the Department in partnership with Land Securities Trillium is exploring the potential for on-site renewable generation. There are a number of projects where this may be feasible and scoping work is under way. The Department's annual Sustainable Development reports will provide details of progress.

Departments: Trade Unions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many meetings  (a) he and  (b) his Department's Ministers held with trade union representatives in 2006.

Anne McGuire: Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meeting.

Departments: Work Permits

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work permits were applied for by his Department and its agencies in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: This information is not collated in this Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Disability Living Allowance

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the cost to public funds of removing the age cut-off from eligibility for mobility allowance; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The requested information is not available. Entitlement to the mobility component of disability living allowance can only be established when a claim is made and the actual mobility needs of the individual are assessed. There are no reliable data available on which estimates could be made of extending entitlement to the mobility component of disability living allowance beyond the age of 65 if people were to make a claim.

Financial Assistance Scheme: EC Law

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals have been excluded from the Financial Assistance Scheme on the basis of their age; what assessment his Department's legal advisers have made of the extent to which this policy complies with European Union law; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: We estimate that around 50-55,000 members are more than 15 years from scheme pension age and therefore do not qualify for assistance.
	We consider that European Directive 2000/78, which includes non-discrimination on grounds of age, does not apply to FAS.
	The Government are carefully studying the ruling by the European Court of Justice of 25 January 2007 relating to Article 8 of the European Directive 80/987/EEC, and in so doing we will have in mind compliance with community law generally.

Full Employment Agency: Costs

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the  (a) set-up and  (b) annual running costs of the new Full Employment Agency in Scotland.

Jim Murphy: The Full Employment Agency is a matter which we are discussing with the Scottish Executive. No estimate has been made by the Department for Work and Pensions of the  (a) set-up and  (b) annual running costs for the proposed Agency at this stage.

Industrial Health and Safety: Asbestos

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the  (a) one-off and  (b) recurring cost of implementing the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 to (i) businesses and (ii) the regulators.

Anne McGuire: The answer is as follows:
	(i) The cost to business, in present value terms, of complying with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 was estimated to be some £1.4 billion in the first year. Recurring costs were estimated to be in the region of £13 million a year over 50 years.
	These figures should be balanced against the estimated £3 billion benefits of the regulations. These arise from reducing the risks from asbestos and so preventing an estimated 4,700 asbestos related deaths over 50 years.
	(ii) Combining the costs to HSE and local authorities of enforcing the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002, the cost in the first year in which the regulations came into force was estimated to be in the region of £8 million in present value terms. Over a 10-year period, enforcement costs were estimated at £34 million. The information in this reply was drawn from the final Regulatory Impact Assessment for the legislation that is available in the Library or on the HSE website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/ria/index.htm.
	The Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are committed to meeting the Better Regulation challenge. The HSE is constantly reviewing what can be done better to ensure that the right balance is struck between protecting people at work and avoiding unnecessary burdens on business.

Industrial Health and Safety: Hazardous Substances

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the  (a) one-off and  (b) recurring cost of implementing the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 to (i) businesses and (ii) the regulators.

Anne McGuire: The cost to business of implementing the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 was estimated to be £350 million over a 10-year period, of which £150 million was initial costs.
	Costs, over the same period, to the health and safety regulators were estimated to be in the region of £6.62 million, of which £75,000 were initial costs.
	These figures should be considered against the total losses associated with incidents involving dangerous substances.
	The Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are committed to meeting the Better Regulation challenge. The HSE is constantly reviewing what can be done better to ensure that people are protected at work whilst avoiding unnecessary burdens on business.

National Insurance: Jobcentres

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what criteria were used to decide which jobcentres will offer interviews for applicants for national insurance numbers; and for what reason some jobcentres cannot conduct such interviews;
	(2)  what his policy is on the maximum  (a) time and  (b) distance that applicants for a national insurance number are expected to travel in order to attend an interview at a jobcentre.

James Plaskitt: Customers wishing to obtain a new national insurance number are required to attend an interview. The jobcentres providing these services were selected on the basis of historical information on where the largest volumes of applications were made, also taking into account the suitability of premises available. Not all jobcentres have suitable premises to conduct these interviews or have had sufficient demand in the past for this specialist service.
	Our policy on travelling time and distance is that a customer should be offered an appointment at the nearest location to their requested postcode (place of abode or place of work). In practice Jobcentre Plus specifically advises the customer if the interview is likely to be more than one hour travelling time each way, or if they are likely to be absent from home for over four hours. To assist the customer in these instances, Jobcentre Plus can offer special interview arrangements at a more suitable Jobcentre Plus site. Customers have the option, and some do choose, to travel for longer than one hour to attend an interview. Travelling time rather than distance is the measure on which the suitability of the appointment is determined as this takes into account local transport arrangements. Jobcentre Plus does have a facility to carry out home visits if customers have mobility problems.

New Deal

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of individuals participating in the new deal for young people are participating in the programme for the  (a) first,  (b) second and  (c) third time.

Jim Murphy: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Participants on new deal for young people 
			   Totals  Percentage of total 
			 Participants as at August 2006 97,360 100 
			  Of which:   
			 Participating for the first time 62,630 64 
			 Participating for the second time 22,440 23 
			 Participating for the third time 8,770 9 
			  Notes: 1. Latest participant data is to August 2006. 2. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate.

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many written parliamentary questions to his Department  (a) in the 2005-06 session were and  (b) so far this session have been colour- coded (i) red, (ii) amber/yellow and (iii) green since the introduction of the colour coding system;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of internal department guidance on the system of colour-coding for management of written parliamentary questions in operation in his Department.

Anne McGuire: The Department aims to answer parliamentary questions within the timescales set by Parliament. For the early part of the 2006-07 session, the Department trialled an informal system of colour- coding parliamentary questions to help improve internal processes for answering parliamentary questions. No formal guidance was issued on the operation of the system, nor was any information systematically collected on the number of questions colour-coded as a result. The Department has subsequently decided to discontinue the trial.

Pensioners: Social Security Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) individuals over the state pension age and  (b) households with at least one member over the state pension age who would be eligible for an income-related benefit in (i) 2012, (ii) 2015, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2030, (v) 2040 and (vi) 2050 if the earnings link were restored to the basic state pension in (A) 2012 and (B) 2015.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available. Projections of entitlement for pension credit under the proposed reforms to state pensions are given in the following tables.
	The Government have given a commitment to re-link the uprating of the basic state pension to average earnings. Our objective, subject to affordability and the fiscal position, is to do this in 2012, but in any event by the end of the next Parliament at the latest. We will make a statement on the precise date at the beginning of the next Parliament.
	The proposed reforms to the state pension system will encourage individual personal responsibility for retirement and provide a solid foundation on which people can save. These reforms will mean that those with a good history of working or caring and saving towards retirement will be taken clear of entitlement to the pension credit standard minimum guarantee, while continuing to provide a safety net for those who have been unable to build up a sufficient state or private pension.
	
		
			  (a) Individuals over state pension age entitled to pension credit 
			  Projections of pension credit entitlement 
			   With earnings link restored from 2012  With earnings link restored from 2015 
			   Individuals entitled (Million)  Percentage of total  Individuals entitled (Million)  Percentage of total 
			 2012 5.1 44 5.1 45 
			 2015 5.1 42 5.2 44 
			 2020 4.7 38 4.9 40 
			 2030 4.2 32 4.5 34 
			 2040 3.8 27 4.0 29 
			 2050 3.0 23 3.3 25 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Households with at least one member over state pension age entitled to pension credit 
			   With earnings link restored from 2012  With earnings link restored from 2015 
			   Households entitled (Million)  Percentage of total  Households entitled (Million)  Percentage of total 
			 2012 4.5 45 4.5 46 
			 2015 4.5 45 4.6 46 
			 2020 4.1 41 4.3 43 
			 2030 3.9 36 4.1 37 
			 2040 3.7 32 3.9 33 
			 2050 3.0 28 3.3 30 
			  Notes: 1. Projections incorporate the reforms to state pensions included in the Pensions Bill and are consistent with projections included in the Regulatory Impact Assessment to the Bill. 2. The projections do not include the impact of personal accounts. 3. Robust projections of combined entitlement to pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit are not available. 4. Care should be taken when interpreting these projections as they are subject to a margin of uncertainty. The projections are based on long run simulations of the incomes of individuals under a set of assumptions including life expectancy, partnership formation, earnings growth, employment rates, state and private pension accumulation.  Source:  DWP projections

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what processes his Department carries out to stop payment of basic state pension on the death of a claimant; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: Upon receipt of a notification of the death of a customer, the information is recorded on the relevant computer system, and payments of state pension are stopped with immediate effect.
	Notifications are typically provided by next of kin or close relatives, by telephone or post. Checks are made to establish the identity of the deceased customer, and when notification is received by phone, verification of customer's identity is obtained through a series of security questions.
	The Office for National Statistics provides us with a weekly summary of notifications of death made direct to the DWP from registrars.
	From the autumn of 2007, notifications of death will be received on a daily basis from the Office for National Statistics, as opposed to the current weekly basis. This will assist in enabling a prompt cessation of payment following death.

Pensions Education Fund

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the expected total allocation is of funds on Pensions Education Fund contracts;
	(2)  how much each of the 26 contracted awards from the Pensions Education Fund has cost;
	(3)  with whom further Pensions Education Fund contracts have been agreed since the initial 26 were awarded.

James Purnell: The total expected allocation of funds to the 26 organisations that made successful applications to the Pensions Education Fund is £5,137,961.
	The value of each of the 26 contracts awarded by the Pensions Education Fund is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Contracted organisation  Fund contract value (£) 
			 Age Concern Birmingham 225,196 
			 Age Concern Camden 164,439 
			 Age Concern Baling 248,361 
			 Age Concern England 250,019 
			 British Chambers of Commerce 249,981 
			 Campaign for Learning 244,161 
			 Community The Union for Life 197,772 
			 Council for Voluntary Service (Northampton) 201,510 
			 GFTU 237,900 
			 Golden Gates Housing 165,525 
			 Humber and Wolds Rural Community Council 199,350 
			 Life Academy 56,340 
			 NAPF 234,640 
			 NIACE 247,476 
			 North Liverpool Citizens Advice Bureaux 244,562 
			 Pakistan Pendle Welfare Association 98,510 
			 PRIME 250,064 
			 QED-UK 249,931 
			 Royal Bath and West of England Society 74,537 
			 Royal National Institute of the Blind 124,323 
			 SAFE-Toynbee Hall 245,480 
			 Sahara Communities Abroad 250,000 
			 Scottish Transport Credit Union 194,915 
			 Trades Union Congress 245,116 
			 USDAW 116,727 
			 WEETU (Womens Employment, Education and Training Unit) 121,126 
			 Total 5,137,961.00 
			  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest pound No further contracts have been agreed since the initial award of 26 contracts.

Rented Housing

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of  (a) the number and  (b) the proportion of households renting from (i) local authorities, (ii) registered social landlords, (iii) private landlords and (iv) owner occupiers which are (A) over state pension age and (B) of working age.

James Purnell: The information is in the tables.
	The following estimates have been published from the Family Resources Survey: United Kingdom 2004-05.
	
		
			  Percentage of households 
			  Tenure  Households with one or more adults over pension age  Households with all adults of working age 
			  Rented from:   
			 Council 13 10 
			 Housing Association 9 7 
			
			 Rented privately 5 14 
			
			 Owner occupiers 74 69 
			
			 Sample size (=100 per cent.) 9,302 18,739 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of households (Thousand) 
			  Tenure  Households with one or more adults over pension age  Households with all adults of working age 
			  Rented from:   
			 Council 1,010 1,730 
			 Housing Association 690 1,250 
			
			 Rented privately 370 2,370 
			
			 Owner occupiers 5,810 12,050 
			
			 All 7,880 17,390 
			  Notes: 1. Working age is defined as 16-59 for women and 16-64 for men. 2. 'Council' includes local authority, new town and NIHE rented accommodation. 3. 'Housing Association' includes co-operative and trust rented accommodation.  4. The estimates are based on sample counts that have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the FRS to Government office region populations by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error. 5. Figures for the number of households have been rounded to the nearest 10,000.

Social Security Benefits: Carers

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of carers working more than 35 hours per week in the UK and  (b) the percentage of carers claiming (i) the carer's allowance, (ii) income support, (iii) jobseeker's allowance and (iv) the carer's premium.

Anne McGuire: It is estimated that there are approximately 1.08 million informal carers in Great Britain who provide care for more than 35 hours per week.(1)
	Approximately 8 per cent. of the estimated total of 5.7 million informal carers are receiving carer's allowance, 4 per cent. are receiving the carer premium in income support, and 0.1 per cent. are receiving the carer premium in income-based jobseeker's allowance.(2)
	(1 ) Source:
	Family Resources Survey 2004-05. It should be noted that the Family Resources Survey generates a lower estimate of the total number of carers than the Census, which is used to answer the second part of this Question. In consequence, the answers to the separate parts of the Question are not directly comparable.
	(2) Source:
	Census 2001 and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, August 2006.
	Figures shown are for Great Britain, not the UK, as the benefits discussed are payable in Great Britain. There are overlaps between those in receipt of carer's allowance and the other premiums.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming  (a) incapacity benefit,  (b) severe disablement allowance and  (c) income support for incapacity are undertaking permitted work.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants undertaking permitted work in Great Britain: as at August 2006 
			   Benefit combination 
			  Permitted work type  All  IB and IS  IB only  SDA and IS  SDA only 
			 Permitted Work Lower Level 19,500 5,700 10,400 2,800 500 
			 Supported Permitted Work 12,800 2,800 5,700 3,300 1,000 
			 Permitted Work Higher Limit 14,100 2,500 11 ,200 200 300 
			 Permitted Work Higher Limit—Supported 400 0 300 0 0 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have been produced using the 5 per cent. data and have been rated up proportionally using the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample.

Social Security Benefits: Disabled

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether his Department collects data for tax benefit model tables on the marginal rate of deductions for disabled people;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library the tax benefit model tables on the marginal rate of deductions for disabled people for the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 19 March 2007
	Data on claimants of disability living allowance and attendance allowance are collected but not used to calculate marginal deduction rates for inclusion in the tax benefit model tables.

Social Security Benefits: Immigrants

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what benefit entitlements are for unemployed A2 and A8 migrants who have previously been in employment in the UK for less than a year.

James Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 28 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1413W.

Standard Housing Allowance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact on work incentives of the pilot standard housing allowance.

James Plaskitt: Evidence from the pathfinder local housing allowance evaluation to date suggests that claimants who are paid their benefit directly are more likely to report that they are looking for work, and the proportion of claimants paid directly has increased from 50 per cent. to 84 per cent. Increased financial inclusion can improve work readiness and 91 per cent. of tenants have a bank or building society account, with around a quarter of claimants saying that they opened an account because of the local housing allowance. Additionally, the transparency of the local housing allowance is reported to make discussions about work between advisers and claimants easier. Some of these effects of the local housing allowance, such as increased financial inclusion, will take time to impact on claimant behaviour.
	The final evaluation reports are scheduled to be published in the summer.

State Retirement Pensions: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of age addition to their state pension in Greater London.

James Purnell: As at March 2006, there were 234,000 state pension claimants in Greater London in receipt of the 25p age addition.
	 Notes
	1. Data are taken from a 5 per cent. sample and therefore subject to sampling variation.
	2. Data have been rated to 100 per cent. WPLS data and rounded to the nearest hundred.
	 Source
	Information Directorate 5 per cent. Quarterly Statistical Enquiry sample and 100 per cent. Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study data.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Small Business

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the number of Government schemes in place to support small businesses.

Margaret Hodge: DTI Ministers and Ministers from the Treasury meet regularly to discuss a range of issues.

Businesses: Taxation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the impact of taxation on businesses.

Alistair Darling: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Jones).

Research Councils

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effect of the recently announced change in research councils' budgets on the work of individual research councils.

Malcolm Wicks: There has been no change to the annual budgets of research councils. What my hon. Friend announced on 20 February 2007 were reductions to the stock of accumulated end of year flexibility (EYF).
	The research councils are now considering the implications for their planned activities, and are making individual announcements as they make decisions. Four councils have so far made announcements—the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council. The others will follow suit over the course of the rest of March and April 2007.

Bank of Credit and Commerce International

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on the Bank of Credit and Commerce International liquidation; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The conduct of the liquidation of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International SA is a matter for the liquidators.
	The liquidators will shortly be submitting their annual report to the Secretary of State covering the 12-month period to 15 January 2007.

Bank of Credit and Commerce International

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the liquidation of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International to be resolved.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The liquidators are making every effort to conclude the liquidation and pay final amounts to creditors as soon as possible, however, the English liquidation is one of several worldwide that are closely linked and only when they are all substantially complete will it be possible for a formal conclusion in this country.

Bank of Credit and Commerce International

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with creditors in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: From time to time Ministers have met my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) in the company of one or more deposit creditors of BCCI.

Bank of Credit and Commerce International

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions his Department has had with counterparts in the Cayman Islands and Luxembourg authorities regarding the Bank of Credit and Commerce International liquidation.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has had no discussions with authorities in the Cayman Islands or Luxemburg on this matter; the progress and control of the liquidations are matters for the liquidators, creditors and courts of the various jurisdictions.

Bank of Credit and Commerce International

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to improve administrative processes in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The administration of the liquidations is a matter for the liquidators, creditors and courts of the various jurisdictions. The Secretary of State has no role to play in such administration.

Bank of Credit and Commerce International

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the final cost to the public purse of the liquidation of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International; and what proportion of total moneys recovered this represents.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The cost of the BCCI liquidation will be entirely borne by the company's estate.

Bank of Credit and Commerce International

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the lessons to be drawn from the liquidation process of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International.

Jim Fitzpatrick: BCCI's has been one of the most complex liquidations ever, which has resulted in exceptional returns to creditors, who will have received 84 per cent. of what they are owed by the end of 2007. This case has shown how the liquidation process can benefit from the close involvement of creditors in assisting liquidators to carry out their functions.

Home Renewable Energy Schemes

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will increase his Department's allocation of funds to home renewable energy schemes.

Malcolm Wicks: The Low Carbon Buildings Programme has two phases with the aim of helping to build a sustainable industry for microgeneration technologies.
	Phase 1 (£30 million) was launched in April 2006 and provides several streams of funding for householders. Phase 2, with a £50 million budget announced in Budget 2006, was launched in December. It supports projects in the public and not for profit sectors, with the specific aim of driving down the costs of microgeneration technologies. Both phases continue to make good progress.
	Under Phase 1 we have so far committed £7.2 million to 4,550 household projects and £1.1 million to 64 community projects, and we expect to commit around £2.3 million to the 26 Stream 2 projects in the first round of grant awards.
	The Low Carbon Buildings Programme is a demonstration not a deployment programme, and we believe that the current funding made available to the household stream will allow us to meet the key objectives of the scheme. We aim to continue funding until June 2008, by which time some of our wider measures to promote microgeneration should be taking hold.

UK and EU Trade Balance

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the UK trade balance was with other European Union countries in the latest period for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK deficit on trade in goods and services with the EU25 was £37.9 billion in 2005 (the latest period for which a complete set of figures is available).
	The ONS caution that following a change in the pattern of trade associated with MTIC Fraud, interpretation of the breakdown between EU and non-EU trade is more difficult.
	Total UK exports (goods + services) were £326 billion in 2005—up 9 per cent. on 2004.
	The stock of inward investment in the UK rose to £483 billion at the end of 2005, a rise of £119 billion over the stock at the end of 2004.

Departments: Advertising

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Department's total spending was on advertising and promotional campaigns in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each campaign was, broken down by costs relating to  (a) television,  (b) radio and  (c) print media.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Figures for broken-down costs of such spending by the Department through the Central Office of Information are available for 2004-05 and 2005-06 but are not readily available for the preceding years and to provide these would incur disproportionate cost.
	The figures for 2004-05 and 2005-06 for the cost of advertising on TV, on radio and in the press (including advertising by the Small Business Service) and excluding production costs and VAT are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   TV  Radio  Press 
			  2004-05
			 Consumer Direct — 327,056 170,603 
			 SBS Business Link — — 555,967 
			 Import Licence Announcements — — 74,300 
			 DTI Classified Recruitment Advertising — — 41,007 
			 National Minimum Wage — — 315,754 
			 Renewable Energy — — 15,542 
			 The Queen's Awards for Enterprise — — 30,494 
			 Firework Safety — 152,680 17,061 
			 Dispute Resolution — — 81,768 
			 Total 0 479,736 1,302,496 
			 
			  2005-06
			 Consumer Direct — 823,011 366,935 
			 DTI Classified/Recruitment Advertising — — 31,099 
			 SBS Business Link — — 1,502,301 
			 National Minimum Wage — — 328,604 
			 Directgov—DTI Employee Franchise — — 117,690 
			 Total 0 823,011 2,346,629 
		
	
	The total cost of media spend on advertising and promotional campaigns run by the Department through the Central Office of Information (excluding VAT) in 2004-05 was £2,009,800 and for 2005-06 £3,257,543.

Departments: Postal Services

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which postal companies handle mail dispatched by his Department and its agencies.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department and its agencies have arrangements in place with Royal Mail for the despatch of its standard mail. The DTI follows Office of Government Commerce procurement guidance and seeks to ensure value for money when considering which postal operators to use.

EC Grants and Loans

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total value was of  (a) grants to and  (b) related contributions from (i) organisations which are not small or medium-sized enterprises, (ii) large companies and (iii) universities under the EU Framework Programme in each year since 2004 which are not small or medium-sized enterprises.

Margaret Hodge: I refer the hon. Member to parliamentary questions 120025, 120026 and 120029, answered on 20 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 654W, 654-55W and 656-67W respectively.

Energy Supply: EC Law

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to implement Article 13 of the Energy Services Directive following completion of the metering and billing consultation;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on how smart meters can contribute to the plans for carbon zero houses in 2016.

Malcolm Wicks: In addition to considering responses to its consultation on metering and billing, including smart metering, the Department has had extensive exchanges with interested parties within and outside Government. The Government will set out its views on metering and billing, including matters arising from Article 13 of the Energy Services Directive, in the forthcoming Energy White Paper.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 547W to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, what role his Department has in monitoring the spending of public money by that authority.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 2 March 2007
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is a non- departmental public body (NDPB). My Department sets its budget, which includes grant in aid, and my officials monitor the NDA in line with parliamentary controls set out in Government Accounting—which includes agreeing limits on the NDA's delegated authority. In addition, officials have due regard to compliance with Cabinet Office guidance on the management of NDPBs.

Package Holidays: Safety

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from consumer groups on  (a) tour operator liabilities and  (b) the adequacy of the protection afforded by current legislation under the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992 following the fatalities at the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel, Corfu, in October 2006.

Ian McCartney: Since October 2006 I have received no representation from customer groups on the issues listed.

Phoenix Companies: Complaints

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints trading standards officers have received regarding so-called phoenix companies, which liquidate and reform, in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Trading standards officers are linked to local authorities and do not report directly to the Department of Trade and Industry. The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Radio Frequencies: Licensing

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what statutory powers he has to direct Ofcom in the implementation of a decision by the EC Radio Spectrum Committee allowing 2G spectrum to be reframed for 3G use.

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State can direct Ofcom's management of spectrum for security, international relations and public safety reasons under Section 5 of the Communications Act 2003, or more broadly under Section 156 of the Act.
	To invoke Section 156, Ofcom must be consulted, and other Departments would be consulted on the merits of any particular case through the Cabinet Office Official Committee on Spectrum Strategy. Any direction would then be laid before Parliament and subject to an affirmative resolution of each House.

Redundancy

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the compatibility of existing provisions of employer redundancy schemes with age discrimination regulations, with particular reference to his Department's own redundancy scheme.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 provide exemptions from age challenge for employers that either follow the statutory redundancy scheme or offer enhanced versions of the statutory scheme. These exemptions were discussed with employer groups including the CBI and EEF. However, the Government do not hold details of employers' individual schemes.
	If staff of the Department of Trade and Industry are made redundant, they receive benefits as set out in the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS). The Cabinet Office is reviewing the terms of the CSCS, taking account of various factors including the provisions of the age legislation, and plans to consult the Council of Civil Service Unions about changes to the scheme in due course.

Small Businesses: Females

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to assist female entrepreneurs to set up their own businesses.

Margaret Hodge: Women entrepreneurs make a significant contribution to the UK economy. Women-owned businesses contribute about £60 billion to the UK economy. Developing women's enterprise is therefore an economic imperative.
	That is why I have been working with providers of business support to ensure that women can access the women-friendly advice and help they need. Our key partners in this area are the regional development agencies.
	I have set up the Task Force on Women's Enterprise, which has been tasked with driving forward the development of women's enterprise.
	To supplement the role of the Task Force, I have also established a network of women entrepreneur ambassadors to inspire other women in starting their own businesses.

Telephones: Digital Technology

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) households and  (b) businesses which receive telephone services through a digital access carrier system in each region of the UK.

Margaret Hodge: I understand from BT that this information is not available on a regional basis. The company estimates that the current number of UK telephone lines delivered through a digital access carrier system is 550,000, a reduction of 100,000 lines since February 2006.

Thomas Cook

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from  (a) independent and  (b) non-vertically integrated tour operators on the proposed Thomas Cook MyTravel merger.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not received any representations from tour operators relating to the proposed merger. The regulatory function of investigating mergers is the responsibility of the independent competition authorities.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Energy Supply

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made in the provision of electricity networks and supply throughout Afghanistan since 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The latest quarterly progress report issued by the Government of Afghanistan (GoA)states that the Ministry of Energy and Water, in partnership with various donors and governments, has made considerable strides since 2003 to rehabilitate the provision of electricity throughout Afghanistan. It is estimated that 15 per cent. of the population now has access to some electrical power. This includes approximately 378,700 urban and rural households, 33,500 commercial establishments and 5,300 government institutions. However, access remains poor and is often unreliable. Furthermore, figures should be treated with caution as there are serious limitations in ability to measure some of the statistics. DFID is not directly engaged in this sector. Lead donors are the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
	In October 2002, USAID committed support for a national irrigation and power rehabilitation programme in conjunction with Afghanistan's Ministry of Energy and Water. The programme is focused on the rehabilitation of the south east power system (SEPS), a 100 MW power generation and transmission network. It aims to provide low cost and reliable power to 1.7 million residents in Helmand and Kandahar provinces by the end of 2009. Central to this initiative is a commitment to rehabilitate the Kajaki multi-purpose dam, built by USAID in 1953 on the Helmand river.
	The programme is split into phases and will include rehabilitating and upgrading the dam, its power plant and associated transmission network by 2009. The first phase will increase Kajaki's generation capacity to 51 MW. Funding of $150 million has already been allocated for this work. The UK Government, through DFID, may fund smaller projects in the vicinity of the dam as part of a stabilisation programme.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan was channelled through the Asian Development Bank in each year since 2001.

Hilary Benn: Since 2001, DFID Afghanistan has channelled £335,000 to the Asian Development Bank for reconstruction and development. This support was divided equally between 2005-06 and 2006-07. This funding provides technical assistance to help the Afghan Government address key policy and institutional issues in the areas of land policy and land administration.

Africa: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what anti-corruption safeguards are in place to ensure that aid given to African countries is used for its intended purpose.

Hilary Benn: Corruption is a serious problem in much of Africa and the poor suffer most. When deciding how to provide assistance to developing country partners, DFID carefully assesses their commitment to improving public financial management, promoting good governance and transparency, and fighting corruption.
	In most countries, DFID delivers aid in a range of ways and the choice of aid instruments depends on the circumstances of each country. DFID takes strong measures to protect our aid programmes from corruption. Strong procurement and management systems have been established to prevent corruption in projects and programmes directly administered by DFID. These systems are subject to independent and systematic audit and evaluation that provide high levels of assurance on the adequacy of systems of control and the processes for safeguarding assets. The external audit for DFID projects is carried out by the UK National Audit Office.
	When funds are granted directly to a partner government as Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS), direct responsibility for the use and auditing of those funds is passed to that government. Before a decision is made to provide budget support, DFID carries out a detailed Fiduciary Risk Assessment. This includes a specific assessment of the risk of corruption and enables us to decide whether the circumstances are appropriate for providing PRBS. DFID considers the risk of corruption in the formal public financial management systems, taking into account how these systems operate in practice and the wider governance and institutional context of the country.
	Where significant corruption or other fiduciary risks are identified, we consider whether the partner government has a credible programme of reform and whether any additional measures are needed to mitigate the risk. We may require additional measures such as independent audits, Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys or the use of donor procurement systems rather than government ones. Progress is monitored. PRBS is usually accompanied by technical assistance to help the government strengthen its systems.

Departments: Paper

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanisms are in place to ensure his Department's economical use of paper.

Gareth Thomas: DFID employs a number of measures to ensure the economical use of paper. All printers and photocopiers wherever possible are set as a default to double-sided printing, and staff are encouraged not to print out internal correspondence sent via e-mail unless absolutely necessary. Our electronic document records management system means that staff have access to a central electronic repository of documents rather than needing to rely on paper files. All used paper is sent for recycling.
	DFID currently meets the Government targets for sustainable operations in respect of the reduction of waste generally.

Developing Countries: Rural Areas

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much he has allocated to rural livelihoods in developing countries for 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's budget for 2007-08 does not make a separate allocation for rural livelihoods. However, in its recent study on tackling poverty in rural areas, the National Audit Office noted DFID's estimate that two-thirds of its bilateral spending directly benefits the rural poor.

Developing Countries: Rural Areas

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which local communities his Department has consulted on the design and operation of country programmes to reach the rural poor.

Hilary Benn: DFID does not maintain central records of our interaction with rural communities in developing countries. But we are committed to broad country ownership of national development plans and policy making. This includes poor and excluded communities. In many countries we encourage and support mechanisms that enable poor men and women to have a say in national and local planning and to monitor the services that government are providing.
	In Ghana, for example, we are supporting the disability movement so that they can influence national poverty reduction plans and budget decisions. In Uganda, the Kabarole Research Centre, with DFID support, monitors the quality of government service provision in rural areas and feeds that information back to local government.
	In Tanzania, in the development of poverty reduction plans for the mainland and Zanzibar, we supported consultations with rural communities, including vulnerable groups such as the elderly, on policies to improve service delivery in rural areas. Now, through a grant-making foundation, we are building the capacity of rural organisations such as ageing and disability groups to monitor the quality of service provision. We are funding a 'Views of the People' survey through the Government's poverty monitoring system that will shed light on rural people's views of government performance in tackling rural poverty.
	In Nepal, the rural roads programme involves structured consultation with communities to ensure that the needs of everyone—rather than just a vocal few—are taken into account. Communities also identify the poorest families amongst them to take part in road construction. Similarly in Ghana, the Department of Feeder Roads uses a road prioritisation methodology that gives rural communities an opportunity to identify and prioritise their need for rural roads. This approach, developed with DFID support, is being adopted in Ghana to prioritise funding from other development agencies.
	In Ethiopia, numerous rural communities from 286 districts were consulted on implementation of the productive safety nets programme. Communities helped identify people who would be eligible for assistance as well as public works programmes that they would engage in.
	And in India, the design team for phase 2 of the Madhya Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Project has consulted communities and field staff who work with them about the effectiveness and impact of the first phase.

Inter-American Development Bank

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had on developments at the Inter-American Development Bank and its fund for development.

Gareth Thomas: I met President Moreno of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) twice in the last year, in April 2006 at the IADB annual meetings held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and in June 2006 in London. We discussed a range of issues including the use of the fund for special operations (FSO), debt relief for the regional heavily indebted poorer countries (HIPC), the President's "Building Opportunities for the Majority" initiative, and proposed work on climate change. On each occasion I confirmed our support for the President's reorganisation of the Bank, which DFID has been supporting, his work to help borrowing member countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region tackle poverty, inequality and respond to climate change, and work to improve the Bank's performance in making lending available to small enterprises. To date, DFID has approved £18.3 million to support the IADB's work in these areas.
	I have also expressed to the President my concern over the details of the current IADB's debt relief initiative to cancel all the outstanding loans of the five HIPC countries in the region. We are concerned that it will constrain the Bank's ability to provide substantial and concessional financing to the poorer HIPC countries to finance the millennium development goals (MDGs). The UK has strongly supported the IADB providing additional debt relief to these HIPCs, but we are concerned about the way the deal is structured and the lack of additional financing for MDGs.

Lebanon

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the priorities of his Department are towards Lebanon.

Hilary Benn: DFID does not have a bilateral programme in Lebanon. However, the UK responded to the humanitarian crisis last year by contributing £22.3 million at the international donors' conference in Stockholm in August 2006. This money was allocated to humanitarian relief (logistics, food, water, sanitation) delivered through aid agencies (e.g. Red Cross, United Nations (UN)); munitions clearance; bridging (providing and transporting temporary bridges to Lebanon) and funding that is channelled through multilateral funds, e.g. the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the European Commission (EC).
	Over the next four years we will be continuing a further £60 million (approximately) to Lebanon through contributions to the international system. Therefore, a key priority for DFID is to ensure the effective use of funding delivered through multilateral channels.
	A difficult problem that we have been addressing in Lebanon is danger to civilians from unexploded bombs. On top of the £1.5 million we had already committed to clearance of unexploded mines, we made available a further £1.2 million to the UN Mines Action Service (UNMAS) and the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) for further munitions clearance work in Lebanon. This means DFID's total contribution to munitions clearance is now close to £2.8 million. We have also asked the Government of Israel to hand over all relevant maps locating unexploded ordnance.
	Improving the plight of Palestinian refugees remains a priority for DFID. At the Paris III conference on reconstruction in Lebanon in January 2007, we committed a further £24.4 million to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for 2011-12, on top of the £76 million that will be provided to UNRWA over the next four years. Although funds are not ear- marked, UNRWA estimates approximately 20 per cent. of these funds will support Palestinians in Lebanon.
	The ripple-effect of conflict and instability in Lebanon holds significant risks for our bilateral programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Iraq. We therefore have an interest in addressing the causes of conflict in Lebanon and seeing a stable and prosperous state. In partnership with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) we work through HMG's Global Conflict and Prevention Pool (GCPP) to support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and to contribute to peacebuilding.
	With the UK embassy in Beirut we are also monitoring initiatives to promote democratic oversight of reconstruction spending and planning. This has the potential to address some of the issues underlying the internal conflict in Lebanon.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the measures necessary to ensure the safety of aid workers operating in Darfur.

Hilary Benn: Humanitarian agencies in Darfur are struggling to deliver in an increasingly difficult environment. Part of this is due to the general insecurity and targeted attacks on humanitarian vehicles, staff and assets and it is partly due to the bureaucratic impediments that undermine the ability of agencies to operate effectively.
	With the UN and other international actors, we are urging all sides, including both the rebels and the Government of Sudan, to respect the neutrality of humanitarian agencies and cease all harassment and attacks on their staff. We are also lobbying hard for the Government to ease restrictions on humanitarian agencies particularly on accessing those in need, recruitment, importing supplies, visas and permits for staff.
	Through the Common Humanitarian Fund (UK contribution £40 million in 2007) we are also strengthening the ability of the UN to monitor, report and respond to security incidents involving humanitarian workers.

UN Commission for Sustainable Development

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what matters the Government plan to raise at the UN Commission for Sustainable Development in New York in April.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The 15th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) takes place in New York from the 30 April to 11 May 2007. The topics under discussion were agreed in the 2003 multi-year programme of work, which operates in two-yearly cycles, with one review year and one policy year. We are currently in the second, policy year, of discussions on the cluster of climate change, industrial development, energy for sustainable development, and air pollution and atmosphere.
	The UK will be working, through the EU, to secure action-oriented outcomes in each of the thematic sectors. In particular, the EU is looking to foster a transition to a global low-carbon economy, with diversified energy policies included in national sustainable development strategies and plans by 2010, and with priority to energy efficiency, renewable energies and improved access to sustainable and affordable energy services for all. The EU has also called for a basket of voluntary commitments on access to energy, energy efficiency and renewables, and a review mechanism to assess progress.
	We are also working to ensure an integrated approach through including these issues in national sustainable development strategies, poverty reduction strategies and national development plans. We believe that full consideration of the interlinkages and cross-cutting issues is fundamental to good policy-making.
	In addition, we want to ensure that the work of the CSD is complementary to and supports, rather than cuts across, the discussions and negotiations under the United Nations Forum Convention on Climate Change and its associated Kyoto protocol.

UN Commission for Sustainable Development

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to attend the 15(th) UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York in April.

Gareth Thomas: The 15(th) Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development will take place in New York from 30 April to 11 May 2007. The four main themes this year are Energy for Sustainable Development, Air Pollution/Atmosphere, Industrial Development and Climate Change. We are currently considering ministerial attendance with DEFRA.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Baby Care Units

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many babies were transferred to hospitals outside Northern Ireland in each of the last six years because of the lack of suitable intensive care facilities in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: Information on the number of babies transferred to hospitals outside Northern Ireland in 2001 is not available within the timeframe provided. Information on the number of babies transferred to hospitals outside Northern Ireland for the years 2002 to 2006 inclusive are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of babies that have been transferred outside Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for services that are not provided in Northern Ireland 
			  Trust  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  Total 
			 Altnagelvin Group 1 0 0 1 0 2 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group 0 1 0 1 0 2 
			 Newry and Mourne 0 0 0 1 1 2 
			 Sperrin Lakeland 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals 1 2 4 2 1 10 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 United Hospitals 0 0 0 2 0 2 
			  Source: HPSS Trusts

Dogs: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions for the ownership of a dangerous dog there were in Northern Ireland in each of the last six years; and what the  (a) penalty imposed and  (b) breed of dog was in each case.

David Cairns: Local councils provide statistical information to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) with respect to enforcement of the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 (as amended), including the number of prosecutions taken for offences under the legislation. However, prior to 2006 these returns did not specifically distinguish prosecutions for ownership of banned dogs from other prosecutions taken under the legislation.
	Since January 2006, figures provided to DARD by local councils show that there have been five successful prosecutions, details of which are set out in the following table. There are also a further 11 prosecutions pending, all of which are with respect to possession of pit bull type dogs. To date, DARD has received statistical information for the final quarter of 2006 from 25 of the 26 local councils.
	
		
			  Successful prosecutions for possession of prohibited dog types during 2006( 1 ) (from information provided to DARD by local councils) 
			  Type of dog  Order  Penalty (£) 
			 Pit bull type dog Destruction order 50 fine 
			 Pit bull type dog No destruction order as dog died 200 fine plus a 2 year disqualification order 
			 Pit bull type dog Destruction order 50 fine plus 169 costs 
			 Pit bull type dog Destruction order 200 fine plus 94 costs 
			 Pit bull type dog Destruction order 100 fine plus 181 costs plus costs for the destruction of the dog 
			 (1) To date DARD has received statistical information for the final quarter of 2006 from 25 of the 26 local councils.

English Language

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people participated in English for Speakers of Other Languages courses in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The following table details the number of people participating in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses in the Northern Ireland further education colleges in each of the last five academic years for which data are available.
	
		
			  Academic year  ESOL students 
			 2001-02 882 
			 2002-03 1,116 
			 2003-04 1,338 
			 2004-05 3,494 
			 2005-06 6,048 
			  Source: Further Education Statistical Record

Inquiries: Northern Ireland

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the  (a) Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland Office inquiries,  (b) Bloody Sunday inquiry,  (c) hosting the St. Andrew's talks,  (d) Rosemary Nelson inquiry and  (e) the Finucane inquiry cost to date.

Peter Hain: The costs to the end of January 2007 are set out in the following table. The Patrick Finucane inquiry has not yet been established.
	
		
			   Costs (£ million) 
			 Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (1)47.2 
			 Bloody Sunday inquiry 176.2 
			 St. Andrews agreement talks (2)0.39 
			 Rosemary Nelson inquiry 11. 6 
			 (1) The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland does not conduct inquiries, her role being one of investigating complaints made against the police. In fulfilling this function, expenditure for the Police Ombudsman over the period 6 November 2000 to 31 March 2007 is detailed in the table. The figure for expenditure for the current financial year is an estimate based on the budget allocated to the Ombudsman for 2006-07. (2) This represents a total figure. Costs of hosting the talks are to be jointly shared with the Irish Government.

Water Charges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the  (a) average standing charge and  (b) average effective tax rate to be levied as part of the house price tax element is under the new system of water rates from April.

David Cairns: When domestic water and sewerage charges are introduced on 1 April 2007 they will be phased in over three years. Consequently, customers will only pay one third of the full charges in 2007-08.
	The standing charges for water and sewerage will be the same for all domestic properties and are currently estimated at around £17 each. The variable charges for water and sewerage are expressed as a rate per £1,000 of capital value and are both currently estimated at around 30p per £1,000 of capital value. The average combined charge for water and sewerage is, therefore, estimated at around £100 in 2007-08.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Antarctic Territory: Expenditure

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent on  (a) administration and  (b) capital expenditure on the British Antarctic Territory in (A) 2002, (B) 2004 and (C) 2006.

Geoff Hoon: Direct staff administration costs for the Government of the British Antarctic Territory (BAT) are met by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. There is no capital expenditure. The non-staff administration costs for the BAT are as follows:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2002-03(1) 33,641.56 
			 2004-05(1) 20,175.27 
			 2005-06(1) 7,562.32 
			 (1) The BAT financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June so final figures for 2006-07 are not yet available.

British Council: Expenditure

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the British Council spent in  (a) Europe,  (b) the Middle East,  (c) South and Central America,  (d) Africa,  (e) North America,  (f) Asia and  (g) Australasia in (i) 2000 and (ii) 2006.

Geoff Hoon: Since 2005 the British Council has organised its work overseas into 13 regions. We are therefore unable to provide the information in the exact categories requested by my hon. Friend. The total British Council spend in 2001-02 compared with 2005-06 in its 13 regions is shown in the following table. (All figures are at 2005-06 prices).
	We have used 2001-02 figures because detailed 2000-01 figures could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  British Council spend  2001-02  2005-06 
			 Central and Southern Asia 10.1 17.1 
			 China and Hong Kong 21.1 24.1 
			 East and West Africa 13.7 21.3 
			 East Asia 36.6 36.8 
			 India and Sri Lanka 11.5 14.5 
			 Latin America and Caribbean 17.3 14.9 
			 Middle East 16.1 20.2 
			 Near East and North Africa 15.1 15.1 
			 North and Central Europe 18.2 18.3 
			 Russia 7.7 9.2 
			 South East Europe 31.9 32.6 
			 Southern Africa 9.4 11.5 
			 West Europe and North America 50.1 55.9 
			 Total 258.8 291.5

Exports: Licensing

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many export licences she was sent for her approval in 2006; in respect of which countries; and how many were refused.

Geoff Hoon: Seven export licences were sent to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary for her approval in 2006. Six were for Israel and one for Nigeria. All were approved.

Exports: Licensing

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people in the Human Rights and Good Governance team of her Department are tasked with monitoring export licences for compliance with criterion 2 of the EU Code of Conduct; and how many licences that team was sent in 2006.

Ian McCartney: There are three officers within the Human Rights Democracy and Governance Group (HRDGG) who dedicate approximately 40 per cent., 40 per cent. and 15 per cent. respectively of their time ensuring that the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination is brought into the export licensing process. In doing so, they regularly consult other interested departments and overseas Posts.
	HRDGG were consulted on 631 licences in 2006.

Gibraltar: Spain

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Spanish Government on Gibraltar in 2007.

Geoff Hoon: I have had discussions with Spanish counterparts on a number of issues, including Gibraltar, in 2007. Most recently, issues relating to the Gibraltar Trilateral agreements were raised during conversations with State Secretary Leon in February and March, and EU-related matters were discussed during a meeting with State Secretary Navarro in January.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Gibraltar, among other issues, with the Spanish Foreign Minister on 19 March.
	British and Spanish officials also hold regular discussions on a range of issues, including issues related to Gibraltar.

Kashmir

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her Indian and Pakistani counterparts on Kashmir.

Geoff Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed India-Pakistan relations, and the situation in Kashmir, with the Government of Pakistan during her visit to Islamabad in February, and with the Government of India during her visit to New Delhi in November 2006.
	We welcome India and Pakistan's continuing commitment to the dialogue process, and hope that this will lead to a lasting resolution of all outstanding issues, including Kashmir.

Namibia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to invite the President of Namibia for a state visit to the UK.

Ian McCartney: There are currently no plans for the President of Namibia to undertake a state visit to the UK. However, plans are under way to invite His Excellency President Pohamba to the UK as a guest of the Government later this year.

Whales

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1205W, on whales, which other foreign Governments she intends to lobby before the 2007 International Whaling Commission meeting;
	(2)  on whaling, whether she has approached the Government of any foreign country which voted in favour of lifting the moratorium on whaling at the 2006 International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting to lobby them to vote to maintain the international moratorium at the 2007 IWC meeting;
	(3)  which seven foreign Governments her Department has approached; which two expressed the intention of joining the International Whaling Commission and voting with the UK; what the intentions of the other five countries are; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Foreign and Commonwealth Office posts continue to lobby in the run-up to the next International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in May. 17 countries have now been approached since the last IWC meeting in June 2006: Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Guatemala, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mongolia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey and Uruguay.
	Croatia and Cyprus have now joined the IWC. Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Romania and Turkey have committed themselves to joining as soon as domestic legislative procedures allow. Guatemala is a member but is undecided whether it will participate this year. Uruguay is a lapsed member and has not made a decision about re-joining. Andorra and Liechtenstein will not join due to lack of administrative capacity. Other countries listed, apart from Mongolia, have yet to make a final decision on joining.
	Mongolia is an IWC member which voted to lift the moratorium on commercial whaling at last year's IWC meeting. The Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not confirmed how it will vote this year, or if it will attend.
	Future lobbying plans are under discussion.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many staff work in the  (a) Prime Minister's Delivery Unit,  (b) Prime Minister's Strategy Unit and  (c) Office for Public Service Reform.

Hilary Armstrong: Numbers of staff employed in the Cabinet Office, by unit, will be included in the Cabinet Office Annual Report, due for publication in mid-May.

Government Departments: Offices

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will publish information for charities on the availability of Whitehall departmental buildings for use as venues for  (a) meetings,  (b) fundraising events and  (c) other occasions.

Hilary Armstrong: Usage of departmental buildings is a matter for individual Departments.

Smith Institute

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many times the Minister for the Third Sector has  (a) spoken at and  (b) attended meetings of the Smith Institute in the last 12 months.

Edward Miliband: Cabinet Office Ministers speak at a wide range of meetings and meet with a large range of organisations and as was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Women in Business

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality when she next expects to meet business organisations to discuss plans to encourage women to go into business.

Meg Munn: We have set up a Task Force for Women's Enterprise. The Minister for Industry and the regions leads on women's enterprise issues, and regularly meets the chairs and members of the Task Force. I also regularly meet groups of businesswomen and individual entrepreneurs, as well as those who advise and assist them.

Corston Report

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government are taking to implement the recommendations of the Corston report for the creation of small, local custody units.

Meg Munn: We very much welcome this report which the Home Office commissioned from Baroness Corston.
	We will look carefully at all the issues it raises and the recommendations it makes for change. These will be thoroughly explored and we will develop a detailed response which we aim to publish in around three months.

Returning to Work

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what research the Government have undertaken to establish the principal factors which enable women with children to return to work.

Meg Munn: The Government have commissioned a number of regular surveys which add to the evidence base and help to inform Government policy on women with children returning to work. These include:
	
		
			  Survey  Department  Frequency 
			 The Work Life Balance Employee Survey. DTI Every three years(1) 
			 The Families and Children Study. DWP Annual(2) 
			 Survey of Parents Use and Views of Childcare and Early Years Services. DfES Annual(3) 
			 The Maternity and Paternity Rights and Benefits Survey of Parents. DWP and DTI Periodic(4) 
			 (1) Subject to the availability of resources. (2) Funded until 2008. (3) Surveys commissioned to 2009. (4) Subject to the availability of resources.

Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent representations she has received on the application of the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007.

Meg Munn: Since the end of the consultation phase we have received over 4,000 letters, from a wide variety of individuals and organisations, and the Secretary of Sate has continued to hold meetings with representatives from a broad spectrum of stakeholder groups. We have recognised and listened to the strongly held beliefs on this complex issue, and are confident that the Regulations (approved by Parliament) strike a balance which uphold the rights of all.

Crimes against the Person: Females

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent discussions she has had with Home Office colleagues on violence against women; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Government are committed to tackling violence against women in all its forms.
	I have regular discussions with Home Office colleagues on measures to address violence through the domestic violence, sexual offences and trafficking inter-ministerial groups. Recent initiatives have included the development of cross-government action plans.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Development: Safety

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority in England and Wales spent on community safety in 2005-06; and what proportion of each authority's total expenditure this represented.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 20 March 2007
	Information on how much each local authority in England spent on community safety in 2005-06 has been made available in a table which has been placed in the Library of the House. The data are as recorded on revenue and capital outturn returns submitted to this Department by each local authority.
	Information for Welsh local authorities is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.

Community Development: Safety

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average expenditure was on community safety by local authorities in 2005-06, broken down by type of local authority; and what proportion of total expenditure this represented.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 20 March 2007
	The information requested for English local authorities is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Expenditure on community safety, police and fire services by type of local authority: 2005-06 
			   Average expenditure  (£ million)  Proportion of total expenditure (Percentage) 
			 London boroughs 5 1 
			 Metropolitan districts 3 0 
			 Unitary authorities 2 1 
			 Shire counties 11 1 
			 Shire districts 0 2 
			 Police authorities 225 78 
			 Fire authorities 46 72 
			 Greater London Authority 3,561 48 
			 Other authorities 0 0 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn and Capital Outturn Returns 
		
	
	Community safety is defined as the whole of expenditure on police and fire services plus the revenue spending on crime reduction and safety services and capital spending on community safety. These categories capture spending on community safety which authorities cannot clearly or properly allocate to a specific service.

Departments: ICT

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what Gateway reviews  (a) have been produced and  (b) are under way for projects under the responsibility of her Department and its agencies.

Ruth Kelly: Office of Government Commerce (OGC) gateway reviews have been carried out on the following Communities and Local Government projects and programmes since the Department was created on 5 May 2006:
	Home Information Packs
	Fire Service College E-Learning
	Transactional ERDF and State Aid
	Pan-Government Agreement on Geographical Information
	Government Office IT Outsourcing Project
	Open Space Works
	Tenancy Deposit Protection
	Thames Gateway
	Housing Corporation ICT Infrastructure Management
	Local Area Agreements
	FiReControl
	Franchising Sustainable Communities Summit
	New Dimension (Long Term Capability Management).

Local Government: Reform

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a full council could overturn the  (a) decisions and  (b) budget of a directly-elected executive under her proposals for reform of local government.

Ruth Kelly: The Local Government Act 2000 provides that all decisions in the authority are the responsibility of the executive unless otherwise provided for in regulations made under that Act. This applies to a directly elected executive as to any other executive. Those regulations provide for the authority to adopt its annual budget based on the executive's proposals, with or without amendment. In the case of a mayoral executive, the council can amend the executive's budget proposals only on a two-thirds majority, and we intend to apply this same provision to elected executives.

Social Services: Grants

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much central Government grant each local authority delivering social services would have received if  (a) floors and ceilings had not been applied and  (b) if damping had not been applied to the children and young adults element of the grant.

Phil Woolas: pursuant to the reply, 8 February 2007, Official Report, c. 1162W
	A corrected table has been placed in the Library of the House showing how much formula grant, which comprises revenue support grant, redistributed business rates and principal formula police grant, would have been received in 2007-08  (a) if damping had been applied to the Children's Social Care Relative Needs Formula and the Younger Adults' Personal Social Services Relative Needs Formula but floor damping had not been applied and  (b) if damping had neither been applied to the Children's Social Care Relative Needs Formula and the Younger Adults' Personal Social Services Relative Needs Formula nor had floor damping been applied.
	It is not possible to say how much grant authorities would have received in 2007-08 had damping not been applied to the Children's Social Care Relative Needs Formula and the Younger Adults' Personal Social Services Relative Needs Formula but floor damping had been applied, since we might have taken different decisions on the level of floor damping to ensure that every authority would have received a reasonable increase year-on-year on a like-for-like basis. i.e. after adjusting for changes in funding and function.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Candidates

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will amend electoral legislation to allow the words 'the' and 'candidate' to be used within the description of any political party candidate without an additional, specific description having to be registered under the Electoral Administration Act 2006.

Bridget Prentice: The Electoral Administration Act 2006 amended the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 so as to make new provision for political parties to register up to 12 descriptions of no more than six words for use on its nomination papers or ballot papers.
	The Government have no plans to amend electoral legislation in the way suggested.

Election Petitions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many election petitions have been heard in courts in England and Wales since 2000; what the outcome was of each case in which no proceedings remain active; which election each concerned; and what the nature was of each petition.

Bridget Prentice: The following table sets out the election petitions that have been heard in England and Wales since 2000:
	
		
			  Date  Location  Grounds  Result 
			  Parliamentary 
			 10 August 2001 Romford Offences contrary to s 113(i)and(2)(b)ofRPA1983(no details given) Lapsed 
			 31 May 2005 Greenwich and Woolwich Unfair treatment of petitioner by the deputy returning officer. Other candidates invalidly completed nomination forms and rules of the Electoral Commission broken by other candidates. Petition struck out on 8 August 2005 
			 31 May 2005 Sparkbrook and Small Heath, Birmingham Authorities failed to comply with ECHR article 3 of first protocol to create and operate a system of postal voting. False statements made to obtain postal votes contrary to s12(3) of the RPA 1983, using undue influence and fraudulent devices to impede or pervert free exercise of franchise by an elector contrary to s115(2)(b), fraudulently putting into any ballot box a paper other than authorised by law to do, contrary to s65(l)(d) of RPA 1983 and attempts to commit offences under s65(1)(d) contrary to s65(1)(a) of RPA 1983. Petition dismissed on 28 October 2005 
			  European 
			 14 June 2004 Eastern England Various Struck out 30 July 2004 
			  Local government 
			 20 April 2000 South East ward of Knighton Town council in Powys Votes incorrectly counted(some not counted). Special case 11 December 2000. Petition allowed. Election valid. First respondent not elected. Petitioner elected. 
			 20 May 2000 Parish of Bracknell ward of Bracknell Town council Votes incorrectly counted. Special case 25 July 2000 Petition allowed. Election valid. First respondent not elected. Petitioner elected. 
			 25 May 2000 Sparkhill ward of Birmingham city council Personation, error, treating, bribery, undue influence, overspending election expenses. 25 July 2000 Application to strike out on grounds of late service of petition. Dismissed. 
			 25 May 2000 Nicholls ward, Birmingham city council Voters abroad shown as having voted. Lapsed. 
			 27 June 2001 South Ribble north-west electoral division of Lancashire county council Ballot papers for another electoral division handed out to some voters in error. Special case 5 October 2001 Petition allowed. Election void. First respondent not duly elected. 
			 27 June 2001 Ellogen north electoral division, Redruth, Cornwall Two votes included wrongly. Special case 18 December 2001 Petition allowed. Election void. First respondent not duly elected. 
			 22 May 2002 Sands End ward of London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Ballot papers rejected for want of official mark affected result. Special case 31 July 2002 Petition allowed. Election void. Second respondent not duly elected. 
			 23 May 2002 Aston ward, city of Birmingham Successful candidate made false statements about petitions for purpose of affecting the result and/or alleged irregularities regarding opening of postal votes. 4 October 2002 petition struck out against second respondent. 11 October 2002 petition struck out against first respondent. 
			 23 May 2002 Little Horton ward of Bradford metropolitan borough council Error in counting votes. 29 November 2002 petition dismissed 
			 23 May 2002 Cheetham ward, city of Manchester Requests for proxy votes ignored. Personation, delay in taking ballot box to council, comments by first respondent during campaign. 11 October 2002 petition struck out. 
			 23 May 2002 Peckham ward, London borough of Southwark Marked register missing, Ballot box late arriving at court, count started before candidates arrived, voters removed from register, confusion over postal votes. 29 November 2002 petition dismissed with consent of first petitioner on behalf of co-petitioners. 
			 21 May 2003 Belle Vale and Hasbury ward, metropolitan borough of Dudley Failure by R/O to ensure issued ballot papers were delivered in accordance with Part V of Rep of People Regulations 2001. 19 December 2003 petition dismissed. 
			 21 May 2003 St. Helens borough council in the Parish of Sereley Green Votes miscounted. Special case 17 October 2003. Election void, Joan Davies not duly elected. 
			 21 May 2003 College ward of Wansbeck district council Votes miscounted, block of votes wrongly allocated to candidates Special case 17 October 2003. Election void, first respondent not duly elected, petitioner duly elected. 
			 21 May 2003 Broughton and Appleby ward, North Lincolnshire district council Ballot papers in respect of postal voter wrongly counted—did not bear signature and authentication of voter. 4. November 2003 petition granted, election void, Ivan Glover not duly elected. 
			 23 May 2003 Hartley parish council False statements against petitioner issued by respondent calculated to affect petitioners prospects of being re-elected. Lapsed. 
			 28 May 2003 Lightwater ward, borough of Surrey-Heath Election circulation delivered by Royal Mail to constituents in contravention of RPA Act 31 July 2003 permission to withdraw granted. 
			 28 May 2003 Windlesham parish council,. Lightwater ward Election circulation delivered by Royal Mail to constituents in contravention of RPA 1983. 31 July 2003 permission to withdraw granted. 
			 29 June 2003 Park ward, Calderdale metropolitan borough All postal ballot pilot failed. Breach of duty. Improper and unfair conduct. 22 March 2005 petition struck out. 
			 23 June 2004 Aston ward, Birmingham city council Various concerning postal voting. 4 April 2005 petition allowed, election void 
			 29 June 2004 Bordesley Green, Birmingham city council Disputing postal ballot papers—tampering and personation. 4 April 2005 petition allowed, election void. 
			 30 June 2004 Derringham ward, Kingston upon Hull Various—postal ballot papers. 24 November .2004 election void. 
			 6 July 2004 Flintshire Candidate disqualified from standing for election. 20 December 2004 petition dismissed 
			 17 August 2005 Aston, Birmingham Disputing postal ballot papers and tampering and impersonation Struck out on 23 February 2006 
			 11 May 2006 Kingstanding, Birmingham city council Votes incorrectly counted Petition allowed on 26 July 2006. First respondent not duly elected. 
			 23 May 2006 Dudden Hill, London borough of Brent Candidate disqualified from standing for election. Petition allowed on 15 March 2007. 
			 23 May 2006 St. Katherine and Wapping, London borough of Tower Hamlets Violation of the requirement in Rule 7(3) of the Local Election (Principle Areas) Rules 1986 to examine nomination papers as soon as practical. Petition dismissed on 10 October 2006. 
			 24 May 2006 Eastbury ward, London borough of Barking and Dagenham Votes incorrectly counted. Petition allowed on 31 July 2006. Respondent not duly elected. Petitioner duly elected. 
			 25 May 2006 Queen's Park, London borough of Brent Votes incorrectly counted. Lapsed. 
			 25 May 2006 Foleshill, Coventry borough council That the election be declared void on the grounds impersonation. Petition struck out on 31 July 2006. 
			 25 May 2006 Bethnal Green South, London borough of Tower Hamlets Disputing postal votes alleging tampering and impersonation. Petition dismissed on 29 January 2007. 
			 25 May 2006 St. Dunstan's and Stepney Green, London borough of Tower Hamlets Disputing postal votes alleging tampering and impersonation. Petition dismissed on 10 October 2006 
			 25 May 2006 Mile End Globe Town, London borough of Tower Hamlets Disputing postal votes alleging tampering and impersonation. Petition dismissed on 29 January 2007

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adoption

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) placement orders and  (b) adoption orders were made in 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole (Annette Brooke) on 6 February 2007,  Official Report, column 832W.

Correspondence

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of letters from outside organisations his Department answered within its target time, broken down by  (a) directorate and  (b) unit of his Department in the latest period for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: For statistical purposes the Department does not differentiate between letters and emails, or whether the correspondence is from an individual or an organisation. For general correspondence (excluding freedom of information requests) our performance for the first three quarters of this operational year (1 April 2006 to 31 December 2006) is as follows:
	
		
			  Directorate  Answered within target (Percentage) 
			 Children Young People and Families 86 
			 Communications Directorate 49 
			 Corporate Services and Development 97 
			 Finance and Analytical services 92 
			 Higher Education Directorate 90 
			 Lifelong Learning and Skills 82 
			 Private Office 90 
			 Schools Directorate 94 
			 Chief Information Officer Group 93 
			 Emails not assigned to a Directorate 100 
			 Overall 93 
		
	
	Freedom of information (FOI) requests are not available by directorate. The total FOI inquiries answered within the deadline for the period 1 April 2006 to 30 September 2006 is 89 per cent. The figures for the following quarter 1 October 2006 to 31 December 2006 are not yet available as the 20-day deadline for reporting did not end until 26 January 2007.

Curriculum: Expenditure

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1702W, on curriculum expenditure, what exact amount his Department spent in 2005-06 on the delivery of the free entitlement for three and four year olds; what the exact level of funding has been in each of the last five years; and in relation to which duties set out in the Childcare Act 2006 each local authority spent the budget in 2005-06.

Beverley Hughes: The information available on expenditure for three and four year olds is shown in table 8.3 in the Departmental Report 2006. The estimated outturn for 2005-06 is £3.443 billion. This includes expenditure on under fives in nursery schools, in primary schools and in the private, voluntary and independent sectors. For the outturn figures for the previous five years, I refer the hon. Member to row (c) of the answer I gave on 28 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1396W.
	The Childcare Act 2006 received Royal Assent on 11 July 2006 and, therefore, none of the duties contained in it were in force in 2005-06.

Departmental Office Space

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what area of office space his Department and its agencies used in central London in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills used 36,840.20 sq m of leased office space in central London in 2004 and 35,663.20 sq m in 2006. The Department used no freehold office space in central London in 2004 or 2006, and had no agencies in central London in those years.
	The Department aims to further reduce its central London office space by over 13,000 sq m by the end of 2008.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether people employed  (a) through employment agencies and  (b) on a consultancy basis are included in the calculations for the full-time equivalent staff mentioned in his Department's annual report.

Parmjit Dhanda: People employed through employment agencies and on a consultancy basis are not included in the numbers of full-time equivalent staff mentioned in the Department's annual report. Office for National Statistics guidance to Departments provides that self-employed contract workers and agency workers not paid directly from the payroll should be excluded from counts measuring the number of employees in the public sector and that only employees with an employment contract who are being paid by the organisation should be included.

Departments: Work Permits

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many work permits were applied for by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has not applied for any work permits during the last five years and has not had any agencies since 2001.

Entry to Employment Programme: Gloucestershire

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people joined the E2E programme in Gloucestershire in each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Entry to Employment (E2E) is the main programme for young people not yet ready for an apprenticeship, a job or further learning. The number of young people joining E2E since it began for each funding year (August to July) in Gloucestershire is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003/04 1,051 
			 2004/05 741 
			 2005/06 597 
			 2006/07 (First six months) 309 
		
	
	Since 2005/06, additional pre-level 2 provision has been available locally through European social funds. Take-up of such programmes continues to rise in 2006/07. To date, 367 young people have started on this type of provision in Gloucestershire. This is aimed at young people who are not immediately ready to undertake E2E or the minimum attendance of 16 hours per week that E2E demands so offering a wider choice of provision at this level.
	E2E has been successful. We will be looking to absorb its good practice into the new system we will be introducing in the next couple of years.

Nurseries: Qualifications

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to increase the number of individuals possessing level three and level two qualifications for running play and child care groups.

Beverley Hughes: In our 10-year strategy for childcare, 'Choice for parents, the best start for children' published in December 2004 and in our response to the Children's Workforce Strategy consultation published in February 2006, we set out our commitment to establishing a better qualified and more professional early years workforce. To help achieve this, we have introduced a £250 million Transformation Fund aimed at improving the quality of early-years provision without the cost of doing so being passed on to parents.
	Between 2006 and 2008, a significant part of this Transformation Fund is being spent on increasing the number of early-years workers with at least a level three qualification. This fund adds to existing funding to local authorities and the Learning and Skills Council being used to increase the number of those with level 2 qualifications and to develop the early-years workforce more generally.

Nurseries: Qualifications

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will take steps to ensure that playgroup qualification courses place appropriate emphasis upon work-based training.

Beverley Hughes: It is for the appropriate Sector Skills Council to specify the content of training courses. However, I can give an assurance that most of the courses available to those working in playgroups do involve work-based training.

Overseas Students: English Language

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students undertook English for Speakers of Other Languages courses in each year between 2000 and 2005, broken down by nationality of students.

Phil Hope: The number of enrolments to ESOL courses in each year between 2000 and 2005 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2000/01 159,000 
			 2001/02 302,000 
			 2002/03 413,000 
			 2003/04 488,000 
			 2004/05 484,000 
			 2005/06 (1)504,000 
			 (1) Based on data up to October 2006, both confirmed and estimated. 
		
	
	Data on learners is gathered through the individualised learner record (ILR). Its primary function is to capture learner suitability to a learning aim and ensure correct payment to the provider of learning, and as such, there is no field on the ILR designed to capture a learner's nationality.

Runaway Children

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance is given to local authorities on children in their area who have run away or are missing from home, specifying in each case the  (a) document,  (b) paragraph and  (c) line references; and whether each has statutory status.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 20 March 2007
	Government issued "Children Missing from Care and Home—a guide to good practice" in tandem with the social exclusion unit's report "Young Runaways" in 2002. This includes information for local authorities and their partner agencies on responding to children in care who go missing from their placements and to children who go missing from their homes.
	Sections 1 to 7 of this guidance from pages 5 to 19 set out the issues to be considered and the processes to be followed so that local authorities respond effectively to children who go missing from their care placement. Sections 8 to 10 from pages 23 to 29 set out the issues and processes to be followed for those who run away from home.
	This guidance and its related circular, LAC(2002)17, were issued under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 which means that, except in exceptional circumstances, councils must follow its advice.
	We are currently working with the Children's Society to review how local authorities are meeting the needs of runaways under the Every Child Matters framework, and will consider the case for fresh guidance on runaways when that work is completed.

Schools: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in Coventry offer extended hours; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 7 February 2007
	There are currently over 3,800 extended schools in England. This includes 18 extended schools in the Coventry local authority area (15 primary and three secondary).
	All these schools are providing a core offer of extended services. This is comprised of a varied menu of study support activities and high quality child care 8 am to 6 pm all year round in primary schools. These services will be provided on the school site or in partnership with local private, voluntary and independent providers. They will also offer parenting support; swift and easy referral to a wide range of specialist support services such as health and social care; and wider community access to ICT, sports and arts facilities, on the school site including adult learning.

Special Educational Needs: East Yorkshire

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children in East Yorkshire  (a) had special educational needs and  (b) were educated in special schools in each year since 2000.

Parmjit Dhanda: The available information is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  All schools: Number and percentage of pupils with special educational needs (SEN)—position in January each year: 2000 to 2006—East Yorkshire parliamentary constituency 
			   Maintained mainstream schools( 1)  Maintained special schools( 2) 
			Pupils with statements of SEN  Pupils with SEN without statements( 3)   Pupils with statements of SEN  Pupils with SEN without statements( 3) 
			   Number of pupils( 4)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 6)  Number of pupils( 4)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 6) 
			 2000 13,733 263 1.9 1,816 13.2 63 49 77.8 n/a n/a 
			 2001 13,968 343 2.5 1,874 13.4 63 55 87.3 n/a n/a 
			 2002 14,168 273 1.9 1,902 13.4 72 55 76.4 n/a n/a 
			 2003 14,246 320 2.2 1,556 10.9 71 55 77.5 0 0.0 
			 2004 14,245 339 2.4 1,938 13.6 75 59 78.7 16 21.3 
			 2005 14,156 325 2.3 1,977 14.0 79 64 81.0 15 19.0 
			 2006 14,075 329 2.3 2,092 14.9 85 70 82.4 15 17.6 
		
	
	
		
			   Independent schools( 7)  Total( 8) 
			Pupils with statements of SEN  Pupils with SEN without statements( 3)   Pupils with statements of SEN  Pupils with SEN without statements( 3) 
			   Number of pupils( 4)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 6)  Number of pupils( 4)  Number  Percentage( 5)  Number  Percentage( 6) 
			 2000 957 0 0.0 25 2.6 14,750 310 2.1 1,840 12.5 
			 2001 956 0 0.0 (9)— (9)— 14,990 400 2.7 1,880 12.5 
			 2002 852 0 0.0 20 2.3 15,090 330 2.2 1,920 12.7 
			 2003 892 0 0.0 50 5.6 15,210 380 2.5 1,610 10.6 
			 2004 886 0 0.0 42 4.7 15,210 400 2.6 2,000 13.1 
			 2005 891 0 0.0 49 5.5 15,130 390 2.6 2,040 13.5 
			 2006 886 0 0.0 51 5.8 15,050 400 2.7 2,160 14.3 
			 n/a = not available (1) Includes maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools. (2) Maintained special schools only. There are no non-maintained special schools in East Yorkshire parliamentary constituency. (3) A change to the Code of Practice in January 2002 means that the numbers of pupils with SEN without statements in 2003 and later are not directly comparable with earlier years. (4) Headcount of pupils. Excludes dually registered pupils. (5) The number of pupils with statements of SEN expressed as a percentage of the school population. (6) The number of pupils with SEN without statements expressed as a percentage of the school population. (7) Independent schools only. There are no direct grant nursery schools, city technology colleges or academies in East Yorkshire parliamentary constituency. (8) Totals across all schools have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown. (9) 1 or 2 pupils, or a rate based on 1 or 2 pupils  Source: School Census

Training: Parents

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made towards the establishment of the National Parenting Academy.

Parmjit Dhanda: The National Academy for Parenting Practitioners (NAPP) is the working title for what was previously termed the National Parenting Academy. This change of name recognises that the Academy is to be established to support the development and training of all who deliver services to parents.
	The process to select the preferred supplier for the Academy is under way. We intend to confirm the supplier and award the grant to deliver the NAPP by the end of April 2007. The official launch for the NAPP is planned for Parents' Week which starts on 15 October 2007.

Youth Opportunity Funds

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been provided to schemes under the Youth Opportunities Fund, broken down by local authority area.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF) and the Youth Capital Fund (YCF) were announced in the Green Paper Youth Matters and have been available to local authorities from April 2006. A total of £115 million is available for both funds over the period 2006-08, £61.5 million of which is for YOF, half in each year.
	The following table sets out yearly allocations for YOF and YCF to local authorities.
	
		
			  Table of allocations per year to local authorities for the Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF) and the Youth Capital Fund (YCF) for the period 2006-08 
			  £ 
			  Local authority  YOF allocation per year  YCF allocation per year  YOF and YCF per year 
			 Barking and Dagenham 126,439 109,359.60 235,799 
			 Barnet 199,556 172,599.98 372,156 
			 Barnsley 139,977 121,069.25 261,046 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 93,837 81,161.17 174,998 
			 Bedfordshire 227,316 196,610.00 423,926 
			 Bexley 132,918 114,963.26 247,881 
			 Birmingham 785,126 679,070.94 1,464,197 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 102,521 88,672.31 191,193 
			 Blackpool 93,703 81,045.49 174,748 
			 Bolton 186,811 161,576.36 348,387 
			 Bournemouth 90,000 72,404.36 162,404 
			 Bracknell Forest 90,000 65,000.00 155,000 
			 Bradford 362,009 313,109.07 675,118 
			 Brent 178,245 154,167.39 332,412 
			 Brighton and Hove 140,880 121,849.96 262,730 
			 Bromley 166,709 144,189.89 310,899 
			 Buckinghamshire 232,207 200,840.57 433,048 
			 Bury 99,979 86,473.92 186,453 
			 Calderdale 121,967 105,492.00 227,459 
			 Cambridgeshire 286,903 248,148.19 535,051 
			 Camden 129,061 111,627.75 240,689 
			 Cheshire 343,328 296,951.10 640,279 
			 City of Bristol 259,783 224,691.09 484,474 
			 City of Derby 150,403 130,086.52 280,490 
			 City of Hull 223,091 192,955.90 416,047 
			 City of Leicester 241,378 208,772.63 450,151 
			 City of London 50,000 50,000.00 100,000 
			 City of Nottingham 231,358 200,105.99 431,464 
			 City of Peterborough 123,981 107,233.79 231,215 
			 City of Plymouth 159,348 137,823.25 297,171 
			 City of Westminster 157,158 135,929.34 293,087 
			 City of York 90,000 69,912.57 159,913 
			 Cornwall 256,115 221,519.03 477,634 
			 Coventry 214,196 185,262.75 399,459 
			 Croydon 207,844 179,768.19 387,612 
			 Cumbria 271,355 234,700.23 506,055 
			 Darlington 90,000 65,000.00 155,000 
			 Derbyshire 391,437 338,561.54 729,999 
			 Devon 341,318 295,212.79 636,531 
			 Doncaster 209,390 181,105.21 390,495 
			 Dorset 186,054 160,922.10 346,976 
			 Dudley 189,404 163,818.91 353,223 
			 Durham 310,020 268,142.35 578,162 
			 Ealing 176,409 152,579.60 328,989 
			 East Riding of Yorks 158,565 137,146.11 295,711 
			 East Sussex 273,003 236,125.45 509,128 
			 Enfield 195,755 169,312.60 365,068 
			 Essex 709,672 613,809.46 1,323,481 
			 Gateshead 107,193 92,713.20 199,906 
			 Gloucestershire 291,418 252,053.51 543,472 
			 Greenwich 208,487 180,324.59 388,812 
			 Hackney 160,908 139,172.64 300,081 
			 Halton 94,864 82,049.90 176,914 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 101,406 87,707.95 189,114 
			 Hampshire 594,273 513,998.20 1,108,271 
			 Haringey 185,315 160,282.90 345,598 
			 Harrow 115,622 100,003.62 215,626 
			 Hartlepool 90,000 65,000.00 155,000 
			 Havering 122,809 106,219.53 229,029 
			 Herefordshire 90,000 75,973.45 165,973 
			 Hertfordshire 596,706 516,103.02 1,112,809 
			 Hillingdon 192,877 166,822.83 359,700 
			 Hounslow 145,726 126,041.38 271,767 
			 Isle of Wight 90,000 72,266.94 162,267 
			 Isles of Scilly 50,000 50,000.00 100,000 
			 Islington 136,353 117,934.56 254,288 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 131,229 113,502.35 244,731 
			 Kent 734,395 635,192.89. 1,369,588 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 90,000 72,201.15 162,201 
			 Kirklees 229,587 198,574.50 428,162 
			 Knowsley 138,142 119,481.66 257,624 
			 Lambeth 164,633 142,394.14 307,027 
			 Lancashire 657,899 569,030.20 1,226,929 
			 Leeds 495,926 428,936.52 924,863 
			 Leicestershire 325,861 281,843.75 607,705 
			 Lewisham 197,690 170,985.75 368,676 
			 Lincolnshire 339,879 293,968.32 633,847 
			 Liverpool 431,696 373,382.85 805,079 
			 Luton 130,397 112,783.10 243,180 
			 Manchester 344,728 298,162.26 642,890 
			 Medway 150,215 129,923.79 280,139 
			 Merton 114,423 98,966.96 213,390 
			 Middlesbrough 133,666 115,610.61 249,277 
			 Milton Keynes 131,247 113,518.43 244,765 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 179,521 155,270.96 334,792 
			 Newham 200,779 173,657.75 374,437 
			 Norfolk 422,596 365,511.70 788,108 
			 North East Lincolnshire 127,322 110,123.02 237,445 
			 North Lincolnshire 96,206 83,210.41 179,416 
			 North Somerset 97,642 84,452.53 182,095 
			 North Tyneside 111,261 96,232.19 207,493 
			 North Yorkshire 282,922 244,704.76 527,627 
			 Northamptonshire 377,607 326,599.55 704,207 
			 Northumberland 179,810 155,521.36 335,331 
			 Nottinghamshire 457,275 395,506.28 852,781 
			 Oldham 160,431 138,759.77 299,191 
			 Oxfordshire 346,201 299,436.40 645,637 
			 Poole 90,000 65,000.00 155,000 
			 Portsmouth 127,300 110,104.17 237,404 
			 Reading 90,685 78,435.04 169,120 
			 Redbridge 132,434 114,545.16 246,979 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 108,021 93,429.47 201,450 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 90,965 78,677.65 169,643 
			 Rochdale 145,340 125,707.09 271,047 
			 Rotherham 178,187 154,117.84 332,305 
			 Rutland 50,000 50,000.00 100,000 
			 Salford 161,247 139,465.91 300,713 
			 Sandwell 235,109 203,350.34 438,459 
			 Sefton 173,084 149,703.44 322,787 
			 Sheffield 329,686 285,151.79 614,838 
			 Shropshire 143,746 124,328.65 268,075 
			 Slough 90,000 66,359.32 156,359 
			 Solihull 127,951 110,667.38 238,618 
			 Somerset 267,571 231,427.80 498,999 
			 South Gloucestershire 132,957 114,997.05 247,954 
			 South Tyneside 110,581 95,643.58 206,225 
			 Southampton 138,641 119,912.96 258,554 
			 Southend on Sea 94,308 81,568.80 175,877 
			 Southwark 221,756 191,800.96 413,557 
			 St. Helens 118,976 102,905.11 221,881 
			 Staffordshire 451,419 390,441.20 841,860 
			 Stockport 160,023 138,407.29 298,430 
			 Stockton on Tees 130,962 113,271.64 244,234 
			 Stoke on Trent 159,133 137,637.60 296,771 
			 Suffolk 342,823 296,514.58 639,338 
			 Sunderland 200,855 173,723.80 374,579 
			 Surrey 588,104 508,662.65 1,096,767 
			 Sutton 114,350 98,903.71 213,254 
			 Swindon 111,219 96,195.83 207,415 
			 Tameside 150,922 130,535.32 281,457 
			 Telford and Wrekin 103,299 89,345.36 192,644 
			 Thurrock 90,798 78,533.04 169,331 
			 Torbay 90,000 65,000.00 155,000 
			 Tower Hamlets 212,204 183,539.40 395,743 
			 Trafford 107,647 93,105.85 200,753 
			 Wakefield 196,387 169,859.43 366,246 
			 Walsall 209,888 181,536.45 391,424 
			 Waltham Forest 172,766 149,429.16 322,195 
			 Wandsworth 146,446 126,664.20 273,110 
			 Warrington 101,789 88,039.42 189,828 
			 Warwickshire 265,357 229,512.86 494,870 
			 West Berkshire 90,000 75,507.60 165,508 
			 West Sussex 389,043 336,491.09 725,534 
			 Wigan 189,634 164,018.51 353,653 
			 Wiltshire 216,055 186,870.06 402,925 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 90,000 70,904.61 160,905 
			 Wirral 210,472 182,041.08 392,513 
			 Wokingham 90,000 72,720.63 162,721 
			 Wolverhampton 175,812 152,063.15 327,875 
			 Worcestershire 282,374 244,230.79 526,605 
			 Total 30,750,000 26,500,000 57,250,000 
			  Note: £250,000 for each year for evaluation of YOF and YCF

Youth Opportunity Funds

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schemes have been funded by the Youth Opportunities Fund, broken down by  (a) local authority area and  (b) type.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF) and the Youth Capital Fund (YCF) have only been available to local authorities from April 2006. A total of £115 million is available for both funds over 2006-08.
	We do not hold centrally information on the types of schemes the Youth Opportunity Fund is funding. We are currently in the process of collating data on the numbers of projects and the young people involved in the funds for the first year of funding 2006-07. This information will be available after the end of the financial year, when reports have been received from LAs.

Youth Opportunity Funds

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much of the Youth Opportunities Fund remains  (a) uncommitted and  (b) unspent for (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Parmjit Dhanda: A total of £115 million is available through the Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds over the period 2006-08. A total of £57.5 million is available in each of the years 2006-07 and 2007-08. All the funds for 2006-07 and 2007-08 have been allocated to local authorities. In 2006-07, £170,179 was withheld at the request of four authorities who indicated they would not be able to spend their full allocation.
	It is not possible for the £170,179 under spend to be reallocated at this stage of the year.

TREASURY

Alcoholic Drinks: Death

Graham Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many deaths in the East Riding of Yorkshire alcohol was cited as the primary cause in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 March 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking in how many deaths in the East Riding of Yorkshire alcohol was cited as the primary cause in each of the last five years. (129700)
	The table below provides the number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause in East Riding of Yorkshire unitary authority from 2001 to 2005 (the latest year available).
	
		
			  Table 1. Number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause of death( 1) . East Riding of Yorkshire unitary authority( 2) , 2001 to 2005( 3) —Deaths (persons) 
			   Number 
			 2001 24 
			 2002 19 
			 2003 29 
			 2004 24 
			 2005 29 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). The specific causes of death categorised as alcohol-related, and their corresponding ICD-10 codes, are shown in the box below. (2) Based on local authority boundaries as of 2007. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 1. Alcohol-related causes of death—International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) 
			  Cause of death  ICD-10 code(s) 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol F10 
			 Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol G31.2 
			 Alcoholic polyneuropathy G62.1 
			 Alcoholic cardiomyopathy I42.6 
			 Alcoholic gastritis K29.2 
			 Alcoholic liver disease K70 
			 Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified K73 
			 Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver (excl. Biliary cirrhosis) K74 (excl. K74.3-K74.5) 
			 Alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis K86.0 
			 Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X45 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X65 
			 Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent Y15

Business: Migrant Workers

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of UK businesses that employ migrant workers.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 22 March 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of businesses that employ migrant workers. (129180)
	The information requested is not available.

Child Trust Fund

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2032W, on the Child Trust Fund, how many children born in each quarter since April 2005 are in receipt of child benefit, live in the UK and are not subject to any immigration restrictions.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the number of children for whom child benefit was claimed at 30 November 2006, who live in the UK and are not subject to any immigration restrictions, by the quarter and year in which they were born.
	
		
			  Number of children for whom child benefit was claimed: November 2006 
			   Thousand 
			  Birth date  Number of children 
			 September 2002 to March 2005 1,780 
			 April to June 2005 176 
			 July to September 2005 182 
			 October to December 2005 171 
			 January to March 2006 172 
			 April to June 2006 174 
			 July to September 2006 175

Departments: Manpower

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many members his Department's Budget, Tax and Welfare Comprehensive Spending Review co-ordination team had in February 2007;
	(2)  why his Department's Budget, Tax and Welfare Comprehensive Spending Review co-ordination team does not appear on the latest Treasury Organisation chart;
	(3)  on what date he established his Department's Budget, Tax and Welfare CSR co-ordination team.

John Healey: This temporary team existed from March 2006 to February 2007, when it had one member.

Departments: Recruitment

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many candidates applied for the new position on his Council of Economic Advisers that Gila Sacks now holds;
	(2)  what the process is for  (a) advertising and recruiting and  (b) selecting and interviewing candidates for his Council of Economic Advisers.

John Healey: The appointment of special advisers is conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Gila Sacks

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Gila Sacks has replaced another member of his Council of Economic Advisers.

John Healey: Gila Sacks did not replace another member of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Insurance Companies: Ethics

John Pugh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what complaints his Department has received on the ethical standards of the insurance industry.

Edward Balls: The Treasury receives correspondence relating to a wide range of issues. I am not aware of any recent letters to the Treasury on the ethical standards of the insurance industry.
	The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is responsible for regulating the insurance industry. The FSA's Principles for Business place high-level responsibilities on regulated firms to, among other things, act with integrity and to treat their customers fairly. Additionally, the FSA's Threshold Conditions set down the minimum standards for becoming and remaining authorised, including that the firm is 'fit and proper' to conduct authorised business.

Planning Gain Supplement

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of revenue from planning gain supplement from developments in London he plans to be allocated to the Greater London Authority.

John Healey: Budget 2007 announced that the Government propose that either the Mayor of London or one of his functional bodies would directly receive the regional share of PGS revenues for infrastructure to deliver the objectives identified in the London Plan. As in other regions, the expectation is that transport would be the focus of spending in the short term.

Stamp Duties

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what proportion of home buyers in 1996-97 paid  (a) nought and  (b) 1 per cent. stamp duty;
	(2)  what proportion of home buyers in the last year for which figures are available paid  (a) nought,  (b) one,  (c) three and  (d) 4 per cent. stamp duty.

Stephen Timms: The following table gives the estimated numbers and percentage of residential property transactions in England and Wales falling into each stamp duty band in 1996-97. Figures for the UK are not available for this year.
	
		
			  Price range (£)  Stamp duty rate (percentage)  Number of residential property transactions (000)  Percentage of residential transactions 
			 0 to 60,000 0 698 59 
			 60,001 + 1 482 41 
		
	
	The following table gives the estimated percentage of residential property transactions in the UK falling into each stamp duty band in 2005-06:
	
		
			  Stamp duty land tax rate (percentage)  Number of residential property transactions (000)  Percentage of residential transactions paying tax at rate 
			 0 784 48 
			 1 640 39 
			 3 179 11 
			 4 39 2 
		
	
	The 0 per cent. band includes residential transactions involving considerations over £120,000 which were relieved from stamp duty land tax due to disadvantaged area relief.

Treasury Board

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many of his Department's managing directors attended the Treasury Board's last away day;
	(2)  on what date his Department's Director of Operations was appointed to the Treasury Board;
	(3)  what changes have been made to the Treasury Board since 1 February 2007;
	(4)  on what date it was decided that all managing directors would become members of the Treasury Board;
	(5)  on what date his Department first placed a summary of the Treasury Board's four meetings in 2006-07 on his Department's website;
	(6)  if he will publish on his Departmental website minutes from the HM Treasury Executive Committee;
	(7)  pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2007, Official Report, column 2236W, on the Treasury Board, which Treasury Director sat on the Treasury Board prior to Michael Ellam's appointment;
	(8)  pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2236W, on the Treasury Board, if he will place in the Library full minutes of the four meetings of the Treasury Board that have taken place in 2006-07 and of which summaries have been placed on his Department's website.

John Healey: I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Rayleigh on 8 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2236W.
	No changes have been made to the Treasury Board since 1 February 2007.
	Managing Directors attend Treasury Board meetings as a matter of course. Managing Director posts have always been at board level. The post of Director of Operations has attended the Board since its creation. The post of Director of Policy and Planning was created in July 2004 and became a full member of this Board in July 2005.
	Details of individual postholders have been provided in the department's annual reports.
	There is no body known as the HM Treasury Executive Committee.

Valuation Office

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 734W, on the Valuation Office Agency, and the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 18 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1328W, for what reasons the automated valuation model is not defined as a full computer-assisted mass appraisal system.

Dawn Primarolo: An automated valuation model is one component of a fully integrated computer-assisted mass appraisal (CAMA) system. The latter would include, for example, a geographic information system, which the Valuation Office Agency does not have.

Valuation Office

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the most recent version of the advice given to the Valuation Office Agency staff on health and safety in the field, including guidance on surveying equipment.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 23 March 2006,  Official Report, column 531W. There has been no update to the document since it was placed in the Library.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what role his Department plans in the vcashpoint scheme organised by the National Youth Volunteering Organisation.

Dawn Primarolo: The national youth volunteering organisation, v, is funded with up to £100 million, including a fund available to match contributions from business. As part of the match fund, HM Treasury allocated £0.5 million for v for the vcashpoint scheme in 2006-07, matching the equivalent contribution from HSBC.
	HM Treasury plays no other role in relation to vcashpoint.

Welfare Tax Credits

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was written off by the Tax Credit Office in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05 and  (c) 2005-06.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 18 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 1559-60W to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes).

PRIME MINISTER

10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister what the total cost was of refurbishment and repairs to  (a) 10 Downing street and  (b) the whole Downing street complex in each year since 2004-05.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Hilary Armstrong) on Monday 12 March,  Official Report, column 97W.

Departments: Publicity

Michael Penning: To ask the Prime Minister what his Office's total spending was on advertising and promotional campaigns in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each campaign was, broken down by costs relating to  (a) television,  (b) radio and  (c) print media.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. McFadden) on Wednesday 21 March,  Official Report, column 957W.

Departments: Trade Unions

Theresa May: To ask the Prime Minister how many meetings he held with trade union representatives in 2006.

Tony Blair: My officials and I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a wide range of subjects. Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Iraq: Casualties

Michael Meacher: To ask the Prime Minister if he will meet representatives of servicemen and women from Iraq and Afghanistan and the families of the bereaved to discuss their treatment under the military covenant.

Tony Blair: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper) on 27 February 2006,  Official Report, column 36W.
	In addition, I refer my right hon. Friend to the answers I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) and the right hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron) at Prime Minister's questions on Wednesday 14 March,  Official Report, columns 280-81.

HEALTH

Abortion: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many girls in the  (a) Peterborough City Council area and  (b) the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust area (i) under 15 years of age and (ii) aged between 15 and 18 years of age had abortions in each year between 1997 and 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The available information is set out in the following tables.
	
		
			  Abortions to women aged under 20( 1) , residents of Peterborough primary care trusts (PCTs)( 2 ) , 2002-05 
			under 16  16-17  18-19 
			 2002 North Peterborough PCT (3)1 27 43 
			 2002 South Peterborough PCT (3)3 20 29 
		
	
	
		
			under 18  18-19 
			 2003 North Peterborough PCT 38 47 
			 2003 South Peterborough PCT 28 22 
			 2004 North Peterborough PCT 30 41 
			 2004 South Peterborough PCT 26 37 
			 2005 North Peterborough PCT 37 41 
			 2005 South Peterborough PCT 27 30 
			  Notes: (1 )Data have previously been published in the above format. We are unable break the data down by age under 15 and 15-18 as this, in turn, would reveal small numbers (0-9 cases). This is in line with ONS guidance published in 2005. (2 )PCTs for North Peterborough and South Peterborough are the nearest available areas to Peterborough city council area and the Peterborough and Stamford hospitals NHS foundation trust as data are published by PCT of the woman's residence. Prior to 2002 there were no data published relating specifically to Peterborough. (3 )Totals less than 10 are already published.

Aircraft: Air Conditioning

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Committee on Toxicity investigating contaminated air events plans to carry out a full scale epidemiological survey of UK airline crews.

Caroline Flint: The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment is considering a review of published epidemiological surveys at its meeting on 20 March 2007.
	The relevant papers can be found on the internet at:
	www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/cotnonfood/index.htm
	www.food.gov.uk/science/ouradvisors/toxicity/
	Copies have been placed in the Library.

Alcoholic Drinks: Children

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions to hospital with an alcohol-related diagnosis via accident and emergency departments involving children under the age of 18 years there were in  (a) the former Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority area,  (b) the East of England Strategic Health Authority area,  (c) the West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust area and  (d) the Suffolk Primary Care Trust area in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The following table shows the number of all diagnosis count of finished in-year admission episodes for children aged 17 and under, admitted via accident and emergency (A&E) departments for an alcohol related illness, by patients, primary care trust (PCT)/strategic health authority (SHA) of residence and West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust covering the period 1997-98 to 2005-06. This is the latest data available.
	
		
			  Admission method: emergency: via A&E services, including the casualty department of the provider; or Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A&E department of another provider 
			   Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA of residence  East of England SHA area of residence( 1)  Suffolk PCT area of residence( 2)  West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust 
			 1997-98 208 467 58 17 
			 1998-99 188 410 55 8 
			 1999-2000 212 487 57 16 
			 2000-01 207 432 66 18 
			 2001-02 196 458 83 18 
			 2002-03 196 440 61 15 
			 2003-04 235 498 83 29 
			 2004-05 258 538 85 37 
			 2005-06 242 485 50 22 
			 (1 )East of England SHA area includes the following: Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA; Essex SHA; and Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA. (2 )Suffolk PCT area includes the following: Suffolk Coastal PCT; Ipswich PCT; Central Suffolk PCT; and Suffolk West PCT.  Notes: Finished in-year admissions. A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data year. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  PCT and SHA data quality PCT and SHA data was added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioner (GP) practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.  All diagnoses count of episodes  These figures represent a count of all finished in year admission episodes where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in a HES record.  Diagnosis (primary diagnosis) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.  Secondary diagnoses As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 13 (6 prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care. Alcohol related diagnoses: ICD-10 codes F10 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol; K70 Alcoholic liver disease; T51 Toxic effect of alcohol  Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS PCTs in England. The Information Centre for Health and Social Care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Source: Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for Health and Social Care.

Blood: Contamination

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what trials were conducted in the UK between 1984 and 1986 to ascertain the efficacy of heat treatment for  (a) commercial and  (b) non-commercial VIII blood products; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Heat-treated Factor VIII and Factor IX produced by Bio Products Laboratory (BPL) in the mid 1980s were evaluated in several haemophilia centres in England and Wales. The results from these studies have been published by the investigators in medical journals.
	BPL developed 8Y in 1985 and studies on the efficacy of BPL's heat treatment undertaken after 1986 showed that the process was very efficacious. Clinical trials and laboratory studies reported in 1985 had previously demonstrated the safety and clinical efficacy of the heat-treated product made by the Plasma Fractionation Laboratory of Churchill hospital Oxford, which was destined to become the BPL heat treated factor VIII product (8Y).
	The report "Self Sufficiency in Blood Products in England and Wales" provides a section on heat treatment which contains information on trials undertaken by a number of commercial companies. The supporting references are all in the public domain.

Blood: Contamination

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the Department's internal audit report referred to in the answer of 23 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1742W, on destroyed documents/blood products; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  by what date she expects her Department to finish its identification and review of all the documents currently held relating to the safety of blood products between 1970 and 1985; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 19 March 2007
	The report on the internal review of documents held by the Department relating to the safety of blood products between 1970 and 1985 is being finalised. This report will also take account of missing documents. We expect to complete the report shortly, and a copy will be placed in the Library.
	The internal audit report will be referenced in the internal review of documents and we will make all reference documents available.

Alcoholic Drinks: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol-related hospital admittances there were in Lancashire in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  All diagnosis count of finished in year admission episodes for alcohol-related diagnoses for patients with a PCT of residence in Lancashire for 1996-1997 to 2005-06—diagnosis codes F10 Mental and Behavioural Disorders Due to Use of Alcohol; K70 Alcoholic Liver Disease; T51 Toxic Effect of Alcohol—NHS hospitals, England 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Morecambe Bay PCT 859 668 504 664 746 928 1,175 1,364 1,408 1,532 
			 Wyre PCT 128 149 189 201 154 219 214 206 281 319 
			 Blackpool PCT 338 531 563 638 402 608 646 660 707 865 
			 Fylde PCT 97 140 138 112 101 147 167 172 182 187 
			 Preston PCT 752 763 673 859 795 896 800 726 740 889 
			 Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT 217 274 271 274 271 297 254 262 520 462 
			 Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT 707 844 942 997 1,065 1,344 1,033 1,212 1,361 1,256 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Teaching PCT 386 491 433 477 390 426 446 468 808 726 
			 Chorley and South Ribble PCT 663 738 679 811 737 806 844 771 710 985 
			 West Lancashire PCT 266 253 266 300 287 297 323 436 375 482 
			 Total 4,413 4,851 4,658 5,333 4,948 5,968 5,902 6,277 7,092 7,703 
			  Notes: 1. Finished in-year admissions A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data-year. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. PCT and SHA data were added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment are poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of GP practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 are also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data. 2. All diagnoses count of episodes These figures represent a count of all finished in year admission episodes where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in a HES record. 3. Data quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. 4. Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care

Cervical Cancer: Vaccination

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations she has received on the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil; whether her Department has conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of new vaccines to tackle HPV; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There have been about 25 representations received regarding the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil.
	The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is in the process of thoroughly examining the vaccine safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness evidence concerning HPV vaccines. The work is being taken forward by a sub-group of JCVI, with further work ongoing to evaluate whether the vaccine is considered to be a cost-effective prevention of cervical cancer; and the impact that HPV vaccine may have on genital warts.
	The sub group's advice will be reported to the main JCVI committee for further discussion.
	No decisions will be taken on introducing these vaccines into the immunisation programme until JCVI has presented its advice to Ministers for their consideration.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many faecal occult blood testing kit samples have been  (a) returned to and  (b) analysed by each of the five national bowel cancer screening programme hubs;
	(2)  how many people in England have been invited to participate in the national bowel cancer screening programme; and how many have been sent a home testing kit by each of the five national bowel cancer screening programme hubs;
	(3)  how many local bowel cancer screening centres have begun providing endoscopy services for patients who have had a positive faecal occult blood test result;
	(4)  how many bowel cancers have been diagnosed through the national bowel cancer screening programme;
	(5)  when each of the five national bowel cancer screening programme hubs began operation;

Rosie Winterton: As at 16 March 2007, the national health service bowel cancer screening programme had sent out 128,993 invitations for screening. Invitations are sent out one week before the testing kits, and people can opt out of receiving a testing kit if they wish.
	110,608 faecal occult blood testing kits had been sent out, and 57,280 had been returned and analysed at the five programme hubs. 1,003 positive results had been recorded, and 92 cancers diagnosed. 292 patients were diagnosed with polyps which may have developed into cancer over time. Treating these polyps has reduced their risk of bowel cancer.
	The five programme hubs which began operations are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Programme hub  Date began operations 
			 West Midlands and North West (Rugby) April 2006 
			 Southern (Guildford) September 2006 
			 London (St. Mark's, Harrow) October 2006 
			 North East (Gateshead) February 2007 
			 Eastern (Nottingham) March 2007 
		
	
	15 local screening centres are now operational and are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Local screening centre  Date began operations 
			 Wolverhampton July 2006 
			 Norwich July 2006 
			 Liverpool September 2006 
			 South Devon September 2006 
			 St. Mark's, Harrow October 2006 
			 South West London November 2006 
			 Gloucestershire January 2007 
			 Bolton February 2007 
			 South Tyne February 2007 
			 Tees February 2007 
			 Hull February 2007 
			 Heart of England March 2007 
			 Inner North East London March 2007 
			 University college London March 2007 
			 Derbyshire March 2007 
		
	
	It is hoped a sixteenth centre will open before the end of March 2007. This will be confirmed if and when quality and capacity criteria have been satisfied.

Departments: Complaints

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff worked in dedicated complaints units in her Department and its executive agencies in  (a) 1997-98,  (b) 2001-02 and  (c) 2005-06; and how many have there have been in 2006-07 to date.

Rosie Winterton: The Department established responsibility for the management of complaints about the Department within its customer service centre in September 2004.
	Between 1997-98 and 2001-02 there have been no dedicated staff and complaints have been dealt with at local level.
	Since February 2005, there have been two members of staff spending some of their time working on complaints.
	Complaints about public consultation exercises and Freedom of Information reviews are carried out by specialist units within the Department.
	The NHS Purchasing and Supply Unit (PASA) has no dedicated staff or units for complaints and complaints are handled by its corporate affairs unit.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had no staff working in dedicated complaints units in the Department and executive agencies in 1997-98, 2001-02, 2005-06 and 2006-07 to date.
	However the MHRA has had an independent complaints adviser for the whole period to date. This person has complaints referred to them where they cannot be resolved internally to the complainant's satisfaction.

Departments: Energy

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much energy was used by her Department in each year since 2000, broken down into figures for  (a) gas,  (b) electricity and  (c) vehicle fuel consumption; and what the cost was in each year in each case.

Andy Burnham: The Department's consumption and cost of energy for each year since 2000 broken down into figures for gas and electricity are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Gas: Total expenditure and consumption 
			   Cost (£)  Usage (kWh) 
			 1999-2000 57,184 6,411,000 
			 2000-01 78,807 6,180,000 
			 2001-02 67,097 4,237,000 
			 2002-03 86,367 5,268,000 
			 2003-04 78,989 5,208,000 
			 2004-05 115,470 5,604,000 
			 2005-06 157,684 4,636,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Electricity: Total expenditure and consumption 
			   Cost (£)  Usage (kWh) 
			 1999-2000 682,983 14,081,000 
			 2000-01 613,563 13,802,000 
			 2001-02 632,791 13,417,000 
			 2002-03 602,320 13,780,000 
			 2003-04 631,337 13,913,000 
			 2004-05 754,096 14,220,000 
			 2005-06 911,063 13,454,000 
		
	
	The Department does not have a vehicle fleet and does not record details of vehicle fuel consumption.
	The Government car service provides vehicles for Ministers but the Department has no record of fuel used for these vehicles.

Departments: Retirement

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees from her Department were asked to retire upon reaching 65 years of age as a result of the Department's mandatory retirement policy in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: From 1 October 2006, two employees have reached age 65 and elected to retire from the organisation. Before then employees retired at age 60.

Drugs: Prisons

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her predecessor's statement of 28 September 2004 on the integrated drug treatment scheme for prisons, what funding has been spent in each year since the annual £40 million budget was announced; how many and what percentage of prisoners have received drug treatment via the programme; and whether the March 2008 target for allocating effective treatment services will be met.

Caroline Flint: Implementation of the integrated drug treatment system (IDTS) commenced in 2006.
	The current year's investment in IDTS totals £17 million. This comprises £12 million from the Department and £5 million from the Home Office. This will fund IDTS implementation in 45 prisons, allowing some 44,000 prisoners to receive treatment via the programme by March 2008.

Eastbourne Hospital

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been allocated to Eastbourne District General Hospital for alcohol treatment services in 2007-08.

Caroline Flint: Funding for alcohol treatment services is not allocated directly to national health service acute trusts.

Eastbourne Hospital

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many casualties were admitted to Eastbourne District General Hospital due to drink-related injuries in 2006.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Eating Disorders: Research

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for the funding of research into eating disorders.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is considering whether we can undertake further research into eating disorders through the National Institute for Health Research, about which we hope to make an announcement soon.

Exercise

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much her Department spent on promoting physical activity to  (a) children,  (b) pensioners and  (c) adults in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much public money the Government spent on the encouragement of physical activity among the general population for public health purposes in each of the last five years; and how much is planned to be spent over the next five years.

Caroline Flint: The Department and the national health service promote the benefits of physical activity in many ways to professionals, the public and other stakeholders.
	In particular, primary care trusts are required to have systematic and managed health promotion programmes, including action on exercise, that are responsive to local needs. Spending on the promotion of sport and physical recreation by the NHS is not recorded centrally.
	Alongside spending by the NHS to support local delivery of physical activity programmes for adults and children, the Department has funded pilot work to inform interventions. This has included:
	the local exercise action pilot scheme (LEAP), which has been jointly funded by the Department, Sport England and the Countryside Agency with an overall cost of £2.5 million between 2003 and 2006. The LEAP pilots included interventions targeted towards children, adults and older people;
	a joint Department, Department for Education and Skills, and Youth Sport Trust pilot programme Schools on the Move, which includes resource materials for schools, teachers and young people to help integrate pedometers into the life of the school. The Department has invested £100,000 in the pilot during 2005 and 2006; and
	a contribution of £27,000 by the Department in 2003 to a pilot initiative which distributed 10,000 Step-O-Meters to general practitioner practices in areas of high deprivation and high rates of coronary heart disease. Other funding partners were the Countryside Agency and the British Heart Foundation.
	National programmes to promote physical activity arising out of this pilot work include:
	the National Step-O-Meter Programme, led jointly by the Department of Health and Natural England, is training health professionals across the country in motivational interviewing and the use of pedometers as a motivational tool, and providing free pedometers for loan to their patients. The Department has invested £650,000 in this programme since 2005; and
	a £494,000 school pedometer programme, distributing 40,000 pedometers to 250 schools in deprived areas to encourage children to become more active, and enabling all schools to access resources to support increased physical activity.
	The Secretary of State for Health, through the section 64 general scheme of grants (s64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968), has power to make grants to voluntary organisations in England whose activities support the Department's policy priorities.
	The Department has provided funding to physical activity based programmes under the section 64 scheme to the following organisations:
	Sustrans;
	Amateur Swimming Association;
	English Federation of Disability Sport;
	National Heart Forum; and
	British Trust for Conservation Volunteers.
	For the coming year, the Department intends to spend £1.6 million on increasing physical activity. Spending allocations for the years after 2007-08 have yet to be finalised.

Exercise

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the inter-ministerial group on physical activity last met; and what  (a) activity it has undertaken and  (b) progress it has made.

Caroline Flint: The inter-ministerial group on physical activity, chaired by Caroline Flint, last met on 5 February 2007. Caroline Flint has also held bilaterals with participating Ministers.
	The group has collated information on what each Department has achieved, and reviewed the gaps and obstacles to local delivery.

Exercise

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to encourage and facilitate higher levels of physical activity by people in everyday life.

Caroline Flint: "Choosing Activity: a physical activity action plan", published on 9 March 2005, sets out 99 actions across Government to promote physical activity among children, in the community, in workplaces, and in the NHS.
	Government implementation of Choosing Activity includes:
	In December 2006, the Department, Sport England and Natural England published recommendations to support the local commissioning of physical activity interventions. These were based on the findings of the local exercise action pilots (LEAP), which demonstrated that physical activity interventions are cost-effective and can save the NHS money in the long-term by reducing ill-health. LEAP has also shown that it is possible to engage a broad range of people, and to increase physical activity levels.
	The National Step-0-Meter Programme, a joint programme across the Department and Natural England, is training health professionals across the country in motivational interviewing and the use of pedometers as a motivational tool, and providing free pedometers for loan to their patients. To date 4,000 primary care health professionals, across 220 PCTs (pre-reconfiguration) have been trained in motivational behaviour change.
	To support the above programmes, the Department has developed a simple tool, the general practice physical activity questionnaire (GPPAQ) for routine use in general practice to help health professionals decide when advice and interventions to increase physical activity might be appropriate to offer a patient.
	A school pedometer programme, distributing 40,000 pedometers to 250 schools in deprived areas to encourage children to become more active, and enabling all schools to access resources to support increased physical activity.
	It is a requirement since 2005 for all schools participating in the National Healthy Schools programme to meet criteria for physical activity.
	The Department for Transport are rolling out the new national standard for cycle training, Bikeability, from spring 2007, with the aim that by 2009 half of all year six pupils in England will be trained through schemes awarding the new standard.

Food: Labelling

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will require the Food Standards Agency to press for more robust food labelling standards; and what work is being undertaken on standardisation of labelling across the EU.

Caroline Flint: Food labelling legislation is already largely harmonised within the European Union. The European Commission is currently conducting a review of this legislation, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is representing the United Kingdom in preparatory experts' group meetings in Brussels. UK policy lines are being developed by the FSA through consultation with stakeholders and other Government Departments. The Commission does not expect to submit a draft proposal, to Council and the European Parliament, before the end of 2007.

Health Professions: Training

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much it costs to train  (a) a nurse and  (b) a doctor to the point of full registration.

Rosie Winterton: Information for England on the average cost of training each nurse and doctor for the entire period between entering onto a degree or diploma course until full registration, inclusive of tuition, bursary and salary support costs are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Staff group  2005-06 cost (£) 
			 Nurse diploma (bursaried) 40,225 
			 Nurse degree (bursaried) 28,410 
			 Nurse secondee (salaried) 61,255 
			 Doctor 200,000-250,000 
			  Source: Financial and Workforce Information Return (FWIR) November 2004 and NHS Student Grant Unit for nurse bursaries. 
		
	
	In the period between entry to medical school and full registration, it is estimated that training a doctor costs between £200,000 and £250,000. Doctors generally continue training after full registration. As the duration and nature of post-registration training varies greatly, and as service and training costs are closely related, it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the total cost of training.

Health Services: Lancashire

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much money was spent in Lancashire on anti-obesity initiatives in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how much money was spent in Lancashire on anti-alcohol initiatives in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how much money was spent in Lancashire on anti-smoking initiatives in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: Information on spending by national health service organisations on particular areas is not collected centrally. Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for providing health services to meet the needs of their local population, including services to tackle obesity, alcohol misuse and smoking. The 2006-07 and 2007-08 revenue allocations to PCTs separately identify £211 million nationally in 2006-07 and £342 million nationally in 2007-08 to support implementation of the "Choosing Health" White Paper. This funding has been targeted on the most deprived areas to support the delivery of some of the commitments in the "Choosing Health" White Paper. This will enable PCTs to deliver various initiatives including action on diet, activity and obesity, alcohol interventions and NHS stop smoking services. Revenue allocations to commissioning organisations in Lancashire, PCTs and previously health authorities, are shown in the tables.
	The tables show the revenue allocations made to PCTs in Lancashire for the two allocations rounds 2006-07 to 2007-08 and 2003-04 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  2006-07 and 2007-08 PCT revenue allocations 
			  Organisation name  2006-07 allocation (£ million)  2007-08 allocation (£ million)  Two-year increase (£ million)  Two-year increase (Percentage) 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 207.7 227.2 37.4 19.7 
			 Blackpool PCT 213.8 232.5 36.6 18.7 
			 Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT 339.6 371.2 60.9 19.6 
			 Chorley and South Ribble PCT 242.7 266.7 44.3 19.9 
			 Fylde PCT 88.0 95.2 13.9 17.1 
			 Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT 152.3 166.5 27.3 19.6 
			 Morecambe Bay PCT 404.4 438.5 66.2 17.8 
			 Preston PCT 191.7 207.0 30.2 17.1 
			 West Lancashire PCT 136.4 149.4 24.5 19.6 
			 Wyre PCT 159.0 174.8 29.1 20.0 
		
	
	
		
			  2003-04 to 2005-06 PCT revenue allocations 
			  Organisation name  2003-04 allocation  (£ million)  2004-05 allocation  (£ million)  2005-06 allocation  (£ million)  Three-year increase  (£ million)  Three-year increase (Percentage) 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 143.9 158.3 175.3 43.7 33.1 
			 Blackpool PCT 151.9 166.7 182.1 42.7 30.7 
			 Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT 241.3 265.0 289.6 68.4 30.9 
			 Chorley and South Ribble PCT 171.7 188.2 205.5 47.7 30.3 
			 Fylde PCT 64.0 69.7 75.6 16.6 28.1 
			 Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT 103.9 114.1 124.7 29.5 31.0 
			 Morecambe Bay PCT 289.9 316.3 344.2 76.8 28.7 
			 Preston PCT 142.0 154.7 167.9 36.8 28.1 
			 West Lancashire PCT 97.1 106.4 116.2 27.0 30.3 
			 Wyre PCT 112.8 123.5 134.7 30.9 29.8 
		
	
	 Health Authorities
	Revenue allocations were made direct to PCTs, for the first time in 2003-04. Prior to this, revenue allocations were made to health authorities (HA). The allocations made to the health authorities in Lancashire for the period 1996-97 to 2002-03 are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Revenue allocations 1996-97 to 2002-03, Lancashire health authorities 
			  Allocation (£ million) 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03 
			 East Lancashire HA 230.8 240.7 253.1 349.9 384.2 416.7 461.1 
			 Morecambe Bay HA 139.7 145.3 151.7 205.7 224.1 243.0 268.4 
			 North West Lancashire HA 214.0 223.1 234.4 321.6 352.1 382.9 424.1 
			 South Lancashire HA 127.0 132.5 138.4 185.8 206.2 223.3 247.2

Health Services: Prisons

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of information and communication technologies infrastructure in the prison medical service with regard to the clinical information and support available; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of such infrastructure as compared to that available to doctors working in  (a) general practice and  (b) elsewhere within the NHS.

Caroline Flint: Our overall aim is to ensure that national health service professionals working with offenders have access to similar clinical information systems and services as those in the rest of the NHS in order to improve the quality of patient care and support system reform.
	The great majority of health professionals working in prisons have no specialist information management and technology support, and the task of developing and providing prison establishments with appropriate clinical information technology (IT) hardware and software has always been recognised as an integral corollary of the transfer of health care responsibility from the Home Office to this Department from April 2006. Within the Department, the provision of strategic IT systems is undertaken by the NHS Connecting for Health (NHS CfH) agency as a part of the wider national programme for IT in the NHS.
	Planning is under way to extend compliant primary care systems to support prison healthcare. Mental health and limited secondary care functionality will be added at a later date as applications become available. The first practical step to achieving this goal is in the form of providing the necessary connectivity to the N3 network in the prison estate. This has two aspects: providing broadband connections to prison establishments, and developing a network infrastructure within establishments. In December 2006, £3 million was specifically allocated through strategic health authorities to enhance prison health care IT infrastructure, with the majority of work due to complete this month. NHS CfH is liaising with the prison service and primary care trusts to oversee implementation of this phase of the programme, based on local costed plans.

Health: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government has spent on the Small Change, Big Difference initiative.

Caroline Flint: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 11 January 2007,  Official Report, columns 702-03W.

Hospital Beds: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges there were in acute hospitals serving Tamworth constituency in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: The number of delayed transfers of care from acute beds at the Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals National Health Service Trust within the last 12 months is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Month  Delayed transfers of care 
			 2006  
			 March 2 
			 April 4 
			 May 2 
			 June 5 
			 July 1 
			 August 1 
			 September 9 
			 October 10 
			 November 5 
			 December 9 
			   
			 2007  
			 January 5 
			 February 7 
			  Note:  Numbers of delayed transfers of care are collected as a snapshot at midnight Thursday each week. These data are snapshots taken in the final week of each month.  Source: Department of Health SitReps

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the proportion of poultry workers which were immunised against seasonal influenza in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The programme to offer seasonal flu vaccine to poultry workers started on 22 January and runs until 31 March.
	As of 21 March, preliminary vaccine uptake data indicate 1,000 poultry workers from 42 primary care trusts have been vaccinated.
	Final vaccine uptake data will be collected in mid April.

Maternity Services: Manpower

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent  (a) midwives and  (b) obstetricians were employed in the NHS in each year since 1995.

Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent medical staff in the obstetrics and gynaecology specialities and registered midwives in each year since 1995.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: Medical staff in the obstetrics and gynaecology specialties and midwifery staff in England as at 30 September each specified year 
			  Full-time equivalent 
			   1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Obstetrics and gynaecology 3,406 3,540 3,608 3,685 3,684 3,677 3,711 3,898 4,069 4,286 4,580 
			 Registered midwives 18,034 18,262 18,053 18,168 17,876 17,662 18,048 18,119 18,444 18,854 18,949 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census

Medicine: Training

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for which NHS positions applicants who are unsuccessful in the ST1-4 application process are subsequently eligible to apply for.

Rosie Winterton: Applicants who are unsuccessful in securing a place on a specialty training programme may apply for a fixed-term specialty training appointment which may also count towards the completion of training. Doctors are also free to apply for non-training posts as career grade or service doctors which are advertised by individual national health service trusts. Those who do not obtain places in specialty training programmes will be able to re-apply for such programmes as vacancies arise in future.

Mental Health Services: Surveys

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will publish the findings of the Count Me In Census 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The Healthcare Commission is responsible for publication of the Count Me In Census.

Mid-Essex Hospital Trust: Hospital Beds

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges there were in the Mid-Essex hospital trust area in each month since January 2005.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 19 March 2007
	The following table shows the number of delayed transfers of care from acute beds at Mid-Essex Hospital Services National Health Service Trust in each month since January 2005.
	
		
			  Month  Delayed transfers of care 
			 2005  
			 January 27 
			 February 26 
			 March 18 
			 April 12 
			 May 8 
			 June 8 
			 July 14 
			 August 2 
			 September 17 
			 October 11 
			 November 9 
			 December 11 
			   
			 2006  
			 January 10 
			 February 9 
			 March 6 
			 April 8 
			 May 8 
			 June 10 
			 July 6 
			 August 21 
			 September 7 
			 October 5 
			 November 16 
			 December 14 
			   
			 2007  
			 January 14 
			 February 9 
			  Note: The number of delayed transfers of care are collected as a snapshot at midnight Thursday each week. These data are snapshots taken in the final week of each month.  Source: Department of Health Sitreps

Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust: Redundancy

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many compulsory redundancies there have been in financial year 2006-07 in the Mid Essex hospital trust.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 19 March 2007
	There have been 32 compulsory redundancies in the Mid Essex hospital trust up to December 2006; 25 of these posts were non-clinical.

Midwives

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average case load was of full-time equivalent registered community midwives in each of the last 12 years for which figures are available;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the appropriateness of the size of the caseload of community midwives; and whether her Department has issued advice on the appropriate  (a) average,  (b) minimum and  (c) maximum caseload for community midwives;
	(3)  how many  (a) full-time equivalent and  (b) headcount-registered midwife posts carried the requirement of working in both acute and community settings in each of the last 12 years for which records are available;
	(4)  in how many  (a) acute trusts,  (b) primary care trusts and  (c) other NHS trusts have (i) acute and (ii) community midwives been required to work in both acute and community settings.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally and we have not carried out an assessment of, or provided advice about, the size of case loads. It is for primary care trusts in partnership with local stakeholders to commission midwifery services in order to meet local needs.

Motor Neurone Disease: Research

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations she has received on funding for motor neurone disease (MND) research; whether her Department has conducted an assessment into the effectiveness of MND research; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department has received a number of representations on this subject, mostly from or prompted by the Motor Neurone Disease Association. The response to them has described the nature and level of Government investment in research into the disease, and the fact that the Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease Network will give patients from every motor neurone disease clinic in England the opportunity to take part in national clinical trials.
	The reliability and validity of outputs from research funded by the Department, including research designed to support policy development, implementation and evaluation, are subject to independent peer review. The national service framework for long-term neurological conditions was informed by specially commissioned research, and its impact is being assessed via a £1 million research initiative.
	 Note
	Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease Network was launched in September 2005 as part of the United Kingdom clinical research network.

NHS: Public Participation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the Race Equality Impact Assessment for local involvement networks.

Rosie Winterton: An assessment of the impact of local involvement networks on race equality was published as part of the regulatory impact assessment that accompanied the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill. Copies are available in the Library and on the Department of Communities and Local Government website.

NHS: Working Hours

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to defer the final implementation date of the 48-hour working week to 2012 as referred to in the answer of 21 May 2003 to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell,  Official Report, column 861W, on the working time directive.

Rosie Winterton: The vast majority of national health service staff have been covered by the European Working Time Directive since 1998. The Government negotiated a staged implementation timetable for doctors in training and is funding pilot projects across the NHS to help trusts implement the 48-hour week from August 2009. Approximately 40 per cent. of doctors in training already work a 48-hour week.
	We are monitoring evidence of NHS readiness for fully implementing the 48-hour week for doctors in training. This will inform our assessment of whether to approach the European Commission to use the 2012 derogation to support particular services or specialties.

Nurses: Gender

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of those working as nurses in England are  (a) female and  (b) male.

Rosie Winterton: The September 2005 national health service workforce census showed 89 per cent. of qualified nurses, midwives and health visiting staff in England were female and 11 per cent. were male.

Nurses: Pay

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses she expects to receive a pay increase of 1.9 per cent. in the next 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: All nurses employed by the national health service will receive a staged pay award for 2007-08. This will consist of an uplift of 1.5 per cent. from 1 April 2007 and a further 1 per cent. from 1 November 2007. In addition, many nurses will also receive an increase typically between 3 and 4 per cent. during the year as they progress up their pay scales, and others will receive a pay increase on promotion. The 2005 NHS workforce census, published in April 2006, shows that at September 2005 there were 404,161 nursing, midwifery and healthcare visiting staff employed by the NHS in England. The results of the 2006 NHS workforce census will be published shortly.

Nurses: Vacancies

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the numbers of nursing vacancies there are expected to be in the NHS at the end of August 2007.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not made an estimate of the number of nursing vacancies expected in the national health service at the end of August 2007.
	The March 2007 vacancy survey due to be carried out at the end of this month will provide us with a snapshot of the current nursing three-month vacancy situation.

Nutrition

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people are employed by her Department to work on strategies designed to encourage underweight people to eat more;
	(2)  how many people are employed by her Department to work on strategies designed to encourage obese people to eat less.

Caroline Flint: Government advice for maintaining a healthy weight is for people to consume a healthy balanced diet and be physically active. The Department's nutrition and obesity teams, working with the Food Standards Agency and other Government Departments, has a series of initiatives to encourage and support people to eat a diet that is high in fruit and vegetables and lower in saturated fat, salt and sugar.
	Obesity is a complex, multi-factorial problem that cannot be attributed to any single factor; it is the imbalance between calories in and calories out. The obesity public service agreement target is jointly owned by three Government Departments covering health, education and sport in recognition that delivery will depend on a concerted, joined-up effort across Government and other key stakeholders.

Osteoporosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to discuss with interested parties the decision by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to restrict treatment for osteoporosis to those aged over 70 years; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has not yet published its final guidance on the use of treatments for primary and secondary prevention of fractures in post-menopausal women with osteoporosis. NICE issued an appraisal consultation document on 5 March 2007 setting out its draft recommendations and inviting comments by 26 March 2007. NICE's appraisal committee will then meet to consider consultation responses and formulate its final guidance.
	NICE is an independent body and I have no plans to discuss this ongoing appraisal with interested parties.

Primary Health Care: Bedfordshire

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the Bedfordshire primary care trust and its predecessors to ensure that clinical professionals other than general practitioners receive appropriate training to carry out semi-specialist services at primary care level in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally. It is for the primary care trusts in discussion with local general practitioners (GPs) to decide how many GPs with a specialist interest are required and how to fund any necessary training.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) men and  (b) women in Tamworth constituency were (i) tested and (ii) treated for a sexually transmitted disease in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: Data on sexually transmitted diseases in residents in the Tamworth constituency are not available or on the number of people tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
	Data on the number of all diagnoses in genito-urinary clinics (GUM) in the South Staffordshire primary care trust (PCT), which is within the Tamworth constituency, is given in the table.
	
		
			   Females  Males 
			 2001 2,733 2,101 
			 2002 2,892 2,007 
			 2003 3,508 2,465 
			 2004 3,921 2,930 
			 2005 4,282 3,078 
			  Notes: 1. Data is presented for the South Staffordshire PCT within which Tamworth constituency falls. 2. Aggregated data from five GUM clinics are presented, of which one falls within the Tamworth constituency. 3. Data is only available to December 2005. 4. The data available are from GUM clinics only, as only diagnoses made in this setting are recorded in the KC60 return. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the dataset. 5. The data available are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of treatments provided or testing performed, as those are not available. 6. The data available are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of people diagnosed. For example, individuals may be diagnosed with several co-infections and each diagnosis will be counted separately. 7. The PCT referred to is the PCT where the clinic is based. This is not necessarily the PCT where the patient is resident, as GUM clinics are open access services.

Surgical Dressings

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of maggot debridement therapy in limiting the spread of  (a) MRSA and  (b) other hospital acquired infections; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The effectiveness of maggot debridement therapy has not been assessed specifically for meticillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus MRSA) or other healthcare associated infections.
	However, as the use of this therapy is reasonably well established for the treatment of chronic ulcers there is no reason why it would not be considered for MRSA infected or colonised ulcers.
	This therapy cannot be used for all wounds but when it is it must form part of a team response involving the infection control team (including the clinical microbiologist), the tissue viability nurse, possibly input from plastic surgeons and other clinicians with wound healing expertise. Additional treatment, including relevant systemic antibiotics, may also be necessary.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published Guidance on the use of debriding agents and specialist wound care clinics for difficult-to-heal surgical wounds in 2001. NICE has advised the national health service that the choice of debriding agent, which includes the use of maggots for difficult to heal surgical wounds should be based on comfort; odour control; other aspects relevant to patient acceptability; the type and location of wound, and total costs.

Vaccination

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1978W, on vaccination, whether her Department had a three-month stock of vaccines for the routine childhood immunisation programme on 1 March.

Caroline Flint: On 1 March, the Department had over three months stock of all vaccines used in the routine childhood immunisation programme apart from one vaccine. A delivery of this vaccine was made in the week commencing 5 March, taking its stock holding to over three months.